No More
by SaphireSpirit
Summary: He only ever wanted to live a peaceful life alongside Dragons, but Fate decided that the first fifteen years of his life would be filled with humiliation, pain and misery. But one day that all changes... Hiccup/Toothless Rated for Voilence. No genderbending or anthros.
1. Chapter 1

"_Hiccup's Thoughts" _

The small brunette sprinted through the vast and seemingly quiet forest as fast as his exhausted legs could carry him with his mind set on one location, but luck didn't appear to be with him today. This boy is Hiccup. With his frail figure, one wouldn't think that Hiccup was a Viking, and since he was lacking in strength and used his brain more than a weapon, you definitely wouldn't expect him to be the son of the Chief of the village. Alas, Hiccup was no longer the heir to the position as Chief of Berk, because his father, Stoick the Vast had disowned him. It wasn't entirely Stoick's fault, the villagers had started complaining that Hiccup was unsuitable for the role of Chief and so, for the sake of the village, Stoick sadly and reluctantly adopted a new heir.

And now Hiccup was trying to run away from a mad woman who was making him perform laborious tasks.

"Get back here you little rat! I'm not finished with you yet!" Her messy ginger plaits smashing branches with their weight.

Several more insults were thrown at Hiccup before he tripped over a mysterious object.

It was a leg.

Which was attached to a body?

Which was also attached to three other limbs, and a head?

"Snotlout..."

"Wow, you seriously didn't see that coming? You're even dumber than I thought you were you pathetic-excuse-for-a-Viking." Snotlout was the one who was chosen as the new heir and he now bullied and teased Hiccup even more than before. Snotlout had grown even smugger than before, and Hiccup wouldn't be surprised if he bumped off Stoick just to be the Chief sooner, rather than having to wait five years. (You inherit the position at the age of twenty one.)

Hiccup had just about got back onto his shaky feet when he felt a force hit him like a ton of bricks, completely knocking the wind out of him.

"Got you now you little sh**!" Bertha wrestled him to the ground and then dragged him through the mud back to Berk, while Snotlout simply stood there and laughed his nostrils off.

With all his energy used up trying to escape, Hiccup gave in knowing he stood no chance in a fight with Bertha, who was six and a half foot tall with the muscles and beard of a powerful man.

And that's how Hiccup found himself trying to lift a blunt axe that couldn't cut through wood and was too heavy for Hiccup to even consider using. Although the people of Berk either hated him or ignored him, there was always one person who treated Hiccup nicely.

"Bertha! I need Hiccup in the forges-wait, why are you making him cut wood with _that _ axe? You could break that wood with your bare hands..." The rest of what Gobber was drowned out to Hiccup as he got lost in his thoughts.

"_The Elder Gothi said that there was going to be a massive Dragon attack tomorrow, it's a shame we can't just live in peace with the Dragons." _It had been nearly a month since the last Dragon raid, and people always said that the longer the Dragons waited, the bigger the attack. So everyone was preparing for the worst, but some lunatics were looking forward to the inevitable bloodbath that was steadily approaching.

"...Hiccup!" Gobber yelled waving his hand in front of Hiccup's face. "You need to stop daydreaming so much, I keep telling you it isn't good for you." For the past three weeks Hiccup hadn't been able to focus on anything because of a permanent light head, and it was only getting worse. Hiccup trusted Gobber with his life but he had recently begun to question that trust, his instincts were talking to him as if they were another being. _Why should you trust him? He's just another Viking, he'll probably betray just like your own Father did-_

"_No! I know he only did it for Berk, and I can trust Gobber, he practically raised me."_

"Sorry Gobber...What did I miss?"

"You're coming to the forges with me." By the tone of his voice Hiccup could tell that Gobber had bad news to share.

Relief washed over Hiccup when he heard this. It's true that working in the forges is hard work, but Hiccup enjoyed crafting, and it was worth it for a decent conversation with someone who didn't think he was a disgrace.

As soon as they were away from prying eyes and possible eavesdropping, Gobber handed Hiccup a much needed drink and lead him to Hiccup's small and simple work bench' which was fairly empty, aside from some charcoal pencils, except the walls were covered in drawings, diagrams, sketches and much more.

"Thanks Gobber," Hiccup gratefully drank the water he was given "What do I need to make?"

"Well I'm sure you know about Gothi's prediction for tomorrow?" Hiccup nodded. "Well she recently made another- for the attack tomorrow there will a chance of Monstrous Nightmares and Gronckles, and there will definitely be Hideous Zipplebacks and Night Furies."

"My life just gets better and better." Hiccup drawled sarcastically.

"And any boats in the water will be attacked by Scauldrons, so we need to move all of our boats onto the mainland if we want them to even have a chance of surviving." Gobber quickly added.

"I guess that means that I'm going to be working on weapons a lot."

"Yes, I'm sorry you can't relax today, but if you don't do enough work many villagers have personally volunteered to publically flog you."

"Sounds wonderful, I'll start with the swords."

Two exhausting yet surprisingly enjoyable hours later, Hiccup was allowed to go home. However instead of walking through the village to get to his house, Hiccup lead himself to the forest, where his true home was. He had stopped calling Berk his home after he had been disowned and had made himself his own sanctuary in Khynechi's Glen. Khynechi's Glen was a small Glen (really!?) located South of Changewing Point and North-West in the Meridian of Misery, and most importantly it was far away from Berk. It had a gentle waterfall that had the cleanest and clearest water in the Archipelago and a still lake in the centre which was full of fish, and the Glen was filled with natural wildlife and free of any deadly Dragons, even Terrible Terrors didn't inhabit this perfect place. The entire Glen was surrounded by high walls so it gave Hiccup a sense of privacy and made him feel protected. It was like Valhalla on Earth.

Hiccup had everything he needed there- a supply of clean water, edible vegetation, fish for protein, and towering trees to protect him from the rain. No other Vikings knew about this place and it was unlikely that anyone would discover it since it wasn't a good hunting ground. Hiccup fell to the soft earth in Khynechi's Glen and fell into a deep sleep, but before he could, one thought disturbed his mind.

"_I hope Gothi's prediction is wrong"_


	2. Chapter 2

Green smoke clouded Hiccup's vision and he clawed helplessly at the air, hoping to find some sort of explanation for this strange substance, and it was only when he realised that it was Hideous Zippleback gas that Hiccup started running out of his hiding place. The stables behind him exploded as the Zippleback ignited the strangely coloured gas. Splinters rained down from the sky, narrowly avoiding the young boy who only wanted his life.

Outside was a mess of fire, chaos and destruction as Vikings and Dragons fought, both sides hell-bent on winning the bloody battle. Monstrous Nightmares, Gronckles, and Zipplebacks were causing as much damage to the buildings as possible to distract the Vikings from fighting them while hundreds of Terrible Terrors stole livestock, fish, and all things edible. It was a good strategy, but more and more Vikings were starting to focus on killing the Dragons as they realised that buildings could easily be replaced and Vikings couldn't, and it looked like the Vikings had victory within their grasp.

Although Hiccup was starting to look on the good side of things, like how everyone was too busy to notice Hiccup running through the village clumsily knocking over things on his way.

"_I should have stayed in Khynechi's Glen; at least I wouldn't have to face all of this chaotic disorder."_

Hiccup ran under the mighty wing of a Zippleback, jumped over the deadly talons of a Monstrous Nightmare, hid behind a rock that turned out to be Gronckle, and prayed to the Gods that he would live to see another day. The thunderstorm raged above and Hiccup could have sworn he saw the faint outline of a Skrill riding the lightning bolts. Tonight was undoubtedly the worst raid in history. As he passed through a circle of villagers who desperately tried to defend the last of the chickens, two of them nudged someone behind them and pushed the angry volounteer forward.

"Hiccup! Gobber wants you in the forges, get your pathetic ass over there now!" A random Viking screamed in Hiccup's face.

Hiccup steadily moved towards the forges trying to avoid any Dragons that may or may not want to kill him, but of course this was quite clearly impossible.

"_Not impossible, imPROBABLE."_ Hiccup kept telling himself he would make it, until his path was blocked by an angry Deadly Nadder. _"Where did the Deadly Nadders come from?" _ Hiccup panicked, almost to the point of hyperventilation, but a heavily armed person swung an axe twice the size than Hiccup at the Deadly Nadder and cut a large gash across its belly. Blood burst everywhere almost instantly, spraying all over the killer who wore silver and Hiccup who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was truly a revolting sight, with a smell to match, its insides were clearly vivsible through the gaping wound. Hiccup slipped over in the pool of blood and ended up eye-to-eye with the dying Nadder.

Its eyes. So much knowledge was in those eyes. Hiccup stared intently into them, as if hypnotised...

Everything went dark; the only thing Hiccup could see was the Deadly Nadder. For a few moments Hiccup struggled to turn his gaze away from the Nadder's, but stopped once he realized he simply couldn't. So Hiccup swallowed his fear and gave in to the overpowering urge.

Pain.

Youth.

Intelligence.

Curiosity.

Hatred for its killer.

Love for its unborn children.

A desperation to live.

Its eyes spoke another language, and only Hiccup could read it. The emotions were the words and the thoughts were the guidelines.

"_You know what to do Dragon Whisperer"_

And the Deadly Nadder's electric blue eyes slowly grew lifeless and empty. Those few moments were all Hiccup needed to prove that Dragons were not the mindless killing machines Vikings believed them to be, they were intelligent and beautiful creatures. But no Viking had even thought of not killing a Dragon on sight.

Suddenly, Hiccup could see again and the familiar battlefield greeted him once again. Everything was back to how it was before, the killer was still laughing maniacally, and Hiccup was still lying in a pool of Dragon blood. The only evidence that it wasn't a hallucination was that Hiccup woke up still looking into the Nadder's eyes. The man who had killed the Nadder was relishing in the psychotic joy of ending a life, and stroked the edge of the blade affectionately.

He reluctantly left the Nadder and carried on to the forges, he knew what would happen if he didn't get there.

"Hiccup! Where have you been? Actually tell me later-fix that shield then sharpen the swords."

He instantly got to work and tried to ignore the psychotic things happening outside, but with no success.

Once again, his mind started to wander.

"_Wow, this whole situation is so surreal. The biggest Dragon attack in history and for the first time there is a visible strategy! And on the same night something strange happens with a common Deadly Nadder-What was it that it called me again? Dragon Talker? No. Dragon Winner? No. Dragon Slayer? Definitely no."_

"Hiccup, focus!" Gobber yelled while piling more weapons up next to him.

But Hiccup didn't want to focus on fixing weapons used to kill Dragons. He felt like he had been waiting for this moment his entire life and yet he was stuck in here! He had lived his entire life looking up at everyone and wishing he was as strong as them, and the only person he had ever had a crush on hated him! And yet he still wanted to be with Astrid. Hiccup looked out the window to where Astrid was standing.

"Take that you stupid reptile! Taste my wrath you worthless snakes! You should be bowing before us; you are no more than _ants _beneath our feet!"

When Hiccup watched Astrid fight he usually loved the way she moved, never seeing an imperfection, even when she would punch his shoulder really hard for staring at her.

But this time...

He wanted the dragon to eat Astrid for her nasty attitude, venomous words and mindless violence. Her words were spat in pure hatred as she ignored the helpless cry of the Terrible Terrors she unknowingly squashed beneath her boot.

Hiccup was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't even notice the Night Fury relentlessly attacking the Vikings and killing those who would dare point a sword or axe at a Dragon. He also didn't notice the Skrill's lightning raining down upon the village which made some of the not-so-smart Vikings cower in fear at the might of Thor.

But all things come to an end, and as dawn broke the surviving Dragons started to leave. The last of the Terrible Terrors left with almost all of the village's food, then the Deadly Nadders and the Gronckles. And Hiccup knew that the Hideous Zipplebacks would leave and finally the Monstrous Nightmares and any others left behind. No one knew when the Night Furies left. The strongest Dragons would defend the backs of the weaker Dragons who carried the food, deflecting any spears, nets or ropes that could bring a Dragon crashing to the ground.

It was time for the Gronckles and Deadly Nadders to leave but before they could, something clicked in Hiccup's mind. It's true that he was still being affected by the "thing" in his head, but even in his right mind he would have agreed with the decision.

"_Why should I stay in Berk? What have I got to look forward to other than a life of pain and loneliness? I'd rather be carried off by a Dragon, the only good things in my life is Gobber and Khynechi's Glen... The people here are cruel and merciless. They respect no one but themselves and those capable of disgusting slaughter."_

Hiccup dashed out of the forgery at a speed he didn't know he could run at, and ran to the highest point in Berk, where the Dragons passed low enough for someone to easily grab onto. People stared at him like he was crazy, because everyone knows that if you stand in the path of Dragons leaving after a raid, you are likely to be crushed or carried off and killed. But what went through Hiccup's head in the next two seconds changed his entire life.

"_Why do I get the feeling they won't kill me?_

"_There is nothing left for me on Berk..._

"_I don't want to kill Dragons..._

"_I finally remembered what that Deadly Nadder called me..._

"_I am... __The Dragon Whisperer. I dont know what it means, but I'm sure that the Nadder wouldn't want me to stay here."_

Stoick watched in dismay as his son, and his true successor, was carried away into the rising sun.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own How To Train Your Dragon**

Hiccup gripped on tightly to the Gronckle's powerful talons determined to not plunge to his death in the icy ocean. The wind bit his face and sometimes his feet would drag in the water if the Gronckle flew too low. Other Dragons snarled and growled at Hiccup if they saw him but they didn't dare attack and risk losing the food they held.

Throughout the journey Hiccup had a lot of time to think about what he had done, but he was more concerned about his head. It was almost making him faint and whenever he tried to figure out what was causing it, his vision turned dark again and he would see the dying Nadder's eyes and hear its last words repeated in his head.

Hiccup's thoughts were interrupted by a mournful cry from a passing group of Dragons above the swarm of Gronckles.

"I tried to tell him not to risk ground battle but he wouldn't listen-" A powerful Thunderdrum was speaking softly to a weeping Nadder.

"It's not your fault Renassa, he was just protecting you."

"I shouldn't have flown down there in the first place."

Hiccup's jaw dropped in shock. He could understand the Dragons, maybe better than he understood Vikings.

"Hey Fenorir, why are you carrying a human?"

"I dunno it seemed like a good idea at the time, but now it won't let go." Hiccup's Gronckle was chatting happily to a larger Gronckle next to it.

"Do you want me to kill it for you?" It offered cheerfully, as if it was offering to perform an innocent task, not end the life of another being.

"Don't bother, this one couldn't hurt a fly. Look at it! It couldn't lift a sword!"

Suddenly, a colossal mountain loomed out of the fog and towered above them majestically, Hiccup stared in awe at the Dragon's nest. _"How did something so massive hide from us for two and a half centuries?" _ Its steep sides were filled with caves, and the great swarm of Dragons flew towards a huge opening not far above the ground, and as they went through the tunnel, all went dark. The shadows consumed them and filled the air with the sound of screeching Dragons who roared in impatience.

They emerged again in a cavern nearly as immense as the mountain itself, and what lay inside was simply magnificent.

In every cave, on every inch of floor, hanging from every bit on the ceiling there was Dragons. All the known species of Dragons along with more unknown ones were there, Timberjacks and Typhoomerangs hung from the ceiling, Hideous Zipplebacks and Gronckles slept on the floor of the cave and Monstrous Nightmares with Deadly Nadders flew around aimlessly. In the lake in the centre a vast quantity of Scauldrons slumbered beneath the surface of the crystal clear water, ignoring the Thunderdrums chase each other along the currents. Terrible Terrors of all colours scurried around in packs stealing food or sleeping in a tangled mess of Dragons and fish, while some had to dodge the Whispering Deaths hunting them from underground. Changewings and Bone Nappers scaled the sharp rocks lining the walls. But despite there being hundreds, possibly thousands of Dragons in this infinite cavern, Hiccup never saw a Night Fury.

Unfortunately, while admiring the Dragon's nest, Hiccup lost his grip and plummeted to the ground while screaming in a not at all manly way. And what was even more unfortunate was that he landed on the back of a Monstrous Nightmare that was happily flying around, to say that the Nightmare was angry would be an understatement, it was_ furious_. It snapped its razor sharp teeth at him and lunged with its claws... But a cry of a what Hiccup assumed to be a Night Fury instantly settled it down, and even made the Nightmare put Hiccup down on the ground, which wasn't much safer considering it put him in between a Zippleback and Whispering Death nest. (Thankfully, all the Dragons were too focused on the well fare of their leader to notice Hiccup.)

A group of Titan Wing Gronckles carefully placed a heavily injured Night Fury on the warm ground of the Cavern, and a group of Changewings crowded around it.

"_I guess each Dragon species has a role to play and the Changewings are the Healers and the Night Fury is the leader. It's just like back on Berk, if it's even still there after that attack."_

The tension in the atmosphere was thick enough to be cut with a knife, and each minute they waited felt more like an hour, and finally the leading Changewing spoke up.

"I'm sorry, but there's nothing we can do. Toothless is forever grounded."

_"Toothless? That's a strange name for a Dragon."_

The crowd roared in defiance, wishing it were not true. But the Changewings had announced it and as the Healers, what they said about injuries was always truthful, no matter how terrible it was.

Hiccup finally managed to get a good view of the Night Fury presumably called Toothless, but when he did he wished he could forget what he saw. Thick scarlet blood dripped from its form and formed puddles around its feet, and its once beautiful midnight hide was stained red with the crimes of war. The source of the blood was the tail, where the left half of the tail fin had been completely ripped off, therefore preventing it from even being able to fly in a straight line. Thankfully it wasn't dead, but it was as clear as day that it was in unbearable pain.

"What now?" A small purple Terror questioned.

"We should avenge the death of our mighty leader."

"Hook Fang, he's not dead you brainless idiot."

Hiccup stared at the Night Fury, already taking measurements in his head.

"I can fix this..." Hiccup whispered, also thinking aloud.

All the Dragons turned to face him accusingly. Their acute hearing had picked up the small whisper.

"A _human._" A Timberjack hissed.

"It's covered in my daughter's blood!" Renassa the Nadder cried.

"It's because of heartless Vikings like this one that we now have a leader that can't fly!"

"Kill it! Torture It!"

"Make it regret the day it the day it was born!"

The swarm of livid Dragons slowly surrounded Hiccup. Monstrous Nightmares ignited almost instantly, Typhoomerangs started forming angry sparks on their wings, and Zipplebacks began leaking green gas. For a moment it looked like Hiccup was without a doubt doomed, but unlikely help came in the form of a crimson-stained shadow.

"Stay away from the human!" The Night Fury slowly and painfully dragged itself between Hiccup and the Dragons and began speaking directly to Hiccup. The attacking Dragons stopped spitting acid, didn't spray boiling water, and no flames were to be seen. "Can you understand our language?" It questioned Hiccup with a curious look. It wasn't like an innocent curious, like the type you might find when a child discovers something supposedly extraordinary. It was more like the look of a predator; as if it was wondering how quickly its prey would die if it took a bite out of him.

"...Yes." But this time, when Hiccup spoke it sounded...Different. It was almost like a Dragon was hiding in his throat and was controlling his voice. But under the circumstances Hiccup decided to worry about it later.

"Good. What is your name human?"

"H-H-Hiccup, and just so you know I'm not a Dragon K-k-killer." He stammered nervously.

"I know. I saw what happened with Renassa's daughter, I know why you're covered in her blood."

"I only slipped over-"

"When the Dragon's Passing Ritual is performed, the living being is covered in the Dying's blood, it is part of the temporary mind link that is created. You are the first to perform this Ritual in over two hundred years." It interrupted smoothly.

"What are you trying to say...?"

"You may call me Toothless. And I am saying that you have Dragon blood in you, just enough to make sure you can speak fluent Dragonese and perform certain rituals we cannot. We have been waiting for someone like you to appear, or at least I have. Haven't you ever wondered why you never felt comfortable around Humans? Or why you never felt you could truly put your trust in them? Your Dragon Blood in you has been calling you to this place, that is why you can hopefully call this place your home. I know this is a lot of information to dump on you, but there's no easy way of telling a Viking that the things they kill are a part of them."

Hiccup sunk to the ground in shock, he wanted it to be some elaborate dream his mind made up but it explained everything, even though it was truly ridiculous. The feeling that he had been waiting for this his entire night, the ability to communicate with Dragons, the Deadly Nadder's dead daughter, only ever feeling comfortable away from other Vikings... It was just too much to take in. Hiccup was on the verge of collapsing with exhaustion, but tonight's trails weren't over yet.

"You cannot sleep out here, you might be attacked." Toothless said as if it was as obvious as his missing tail fin. "Many Dragons still see you as a threat, despite you being completely unarmed and being about as strong as an injured Terror." Toothless pointed him in the direction of an alcove about five metres off the ground with plenty of greenery growing out of it. A Changewing lifted Hiccup and Toothless up there with ease, and Toothless then proceeded to blow white hot flames over a small section of the grass to sleep on. "You shall sleep up here with me, none of the other Dragons dare approach me when I do not want them to." Hiccup huddled into the corner and stared at the magnificent beast in front of him, wondering why he trusted Hiccup so easily.

"_I'll ask questions when I wake up"_

And within less than a minute, Hiccup was curled up in the corner having the best night of sleep he ever had in many years. But before he did, he could still hear the voice whispering curses in his ear.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I am planning on this being Toothcup without gender bending or changing species. But I'm not sure if it willing be rated M for...certain things that are not violence.**

"_Hiccup's thoughts"/Subconscious's voice_

Hiccup woke up on slightly charred earth and instinctively crawled forward to where Seralean Lake was; still thinking he was in Khynechi's Glen. Except he ended up bashing his head against dry rock, the complete opposite of fresh water, his cry of pain woke up some nearby Dragons who snarled at him irritably.

"_Where am I?" _Hiccup sat up mystified as to where he was, and it was only after five minutes of reminiscing that he realised what he'd done._"Why did I do that? It must have been this stupid headache, I clearly wasn't thinking straight."_

_You're right about not thinking straight, but being among a group of Dragons who hate you but won't attack you is better than being forced to work for Vikings who hate and will attack you isn't it?_

"_Well when you put it that way, maybe it is."_

_You should listen to me more._

"_You tried to convince me to stop trusting Gobber!"_

_Technically you told yourself that, I'm just a voice in __your__ head._

After that, Hiccup decided to ignore the voice and focus on more important things. He shuffled nervously up to a Terrible Terror and asked as politely as he could in Dragonese,

"Um... W-w-w-where's Toothless?"

"He's outside." It said simply before turning back to its Haddock.

With the help of the Monstrous Nightmare Hiccup had landed on the day before, Hiccup climbed back through the tunnel and found himself outside. Hiccup took a moment to breath in the fresh air before thanking Hook Fang and setting off to find Toothless.

He didn't have to search for long, Hiccup just followed the sound of angry roars and unspeakable curses. When he did find Toothless, he was gliding clumsily through the woodland, trying to keep at a steady pace. But with his left tail fin missing, Toothless had no chance of being able to do so.

"Toothless!" In response, Hiccup was once again knocked to the ground as Toothless lost all control over the direction he was flying in, but got up unharmed and protected by his tough Dragon hide. Hiccup, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky. The force of the crash rendered him unconscious for a minute before waking up to a pair on beautiful Emerald eyes.

"Sorry Hiccup." Toothless was leaning over Hiccup, getting slightly too close for his comfort. "I just lost control, crashing into you wasn't my intention."

"It's okay," Hiccup slowly stood up and rubbed his head. "I've had worse."

"Was there something you needed?"

"Yes, there are a lot of questions I need answering."

"I would be surprised if you didn't have a lot of questions Hiccup, you can ask me anything." Toothless rested his tired wings and settled down. They both knew how long it was going to last.

"_Where should I start?"_ Seeing the confused look on Hiccup's face, Toothless helped him.

"The Dragon's Passing Ritual can only performed by a Dragon Whisperer, a human that can speak our language fluently without any training. It is performed when you look into the eyes of a Dragon that is dying because of the consequences of greed, conflict or war. It is done right before the Dragon's death and it helps to calm their soul and put their spirit at rest. It also forms a temporary telepathic connection between you both." Hiccup could tell that Toothless found his confusion highly amusing.

"...Okay...are there any other Night Furies?"

"Sadly, I am the last of my kind. A terrible plague swept across the Archipelago, effecting only Dragons. There was never many Night Furies here, and the plague killed us all, except me." Hiccup mentally slapped himself after seeing the hurt in his eyes.

"What do you know about the Plague?"

"It is known as the Moon Effect, because the last time any Dragon saw the victims alive, all of the victims were outside, staring at the full moon. The symptoms start with feeling slightly light headed, and then exhaustion and some have even reported that they have heard a voice in their head tempting them to do the opposite of what they want to do, most change their eye colour and if that happens, within eight months they go blind. After exactly five years, they die after staring at a full moon. No one knows how the Moon Effect works, what causes it, and how to cure, if there even is a cure- are you alright?" Hiccup was hunched over, shivering with pure dread.

"_I have the first three symptoms already...I can't possibly have the Moon Effect, it only effects Dragons!"_

_You have Dragon blood in you._

"_Shut up! You're one of the symptoms!"_

_I can't help being a symptom, I am who I am._

The next time Hiccup woke up, he was back on the charred ground of Toothless's cave, and a raw Salmon was lying in front of him. He had forgotten about the earlier events of that day, and was eying the Salmon hungrily. Hiccup didn't often get good meals at home, just the leftovers, so seeing a fresh fish after a day of not eating was joyful. But Hiccup still wanted it cooked.

At that moment, Toothless wandered over with a Changewing by his side.

"I don't know what's wrong with him, he just fainted."

"Don't worry, I'm sure it's just the shock of everything that's happened recently, but I will look at him."

"Thank you Lan."

Hiccup felt a massive clawed paw placed over his chest, where it stayed.

"Well, he's alive."

The paw was removed and Hiccup found himself eye-to-eye with the Changewing.

"And awake, of course. Hiccup? Can you hear me?"

He slowly nodded his head, despite the terrible pounding headache he had.

"Are you hurt anywhere?"

"My head ..." Hiccup murmured quietly.

"You're quite dehydrated and many of the Dragons can hear your stomach rumbling from the other side of the Cavern.

Three Terrible Terrors crouched around his fish and slowly cooked it with small bursts of fire, and Hook Fang the Monstrous Nightmare half carried and half dragged Hiccup over to the lake in the centre, Scauldrons of all sizes greeted him. Hook Fang threw Hiccup into the water playfully, and a group of Terrible Terrors surfaced beneath him, desperate to get out of the water, the Scauldrons swam away from him as well.

Dragon blood stained the once clear waters.

"_Of course! I never got a chance to wash off the blood from the Dragon's Passing Ritual."_

The playful mood had vanished, and it was replaced by a sense of sadness that lingered in the atmosphere. Hiccup could sense anger to; he just hoped it wasn't directed at him.

A blue Deadly Nadder crept forward nervously, "Hiccup," it was Renassa. "Who killed my daughter?" Hiccup knew how much courage it would've taken to answer such a question, especially in front of all the other Dragons.

"Renassa, I'm sorry but I didn't see their face." He replied sadly. "But I know what their armour looks like, if it helps." She nodded gently. "The man was carrying an axe at least five foot long and he was wearing silver armour that made him look like a Monstrous Nightmare. His cloak was made of black Dragon skin and his axe was black." He was surprised that he remembered so much.

Hiccup sorrowfully watched the blood wash away in the current that lead outside to the waterfall, and thought back to Khynechi's Glen.

"Hiccup?"

He turned round to face Toothless, who had been listening from the back of the crowd.

"Yes?"

"I think I know who you are talking about. Did he laugh after killing Renilia and have twin swords on his back?" Toothless had a hateful look on his face as he said this.

"Yes, I think so. Who are they?"

Toothless's face darkened to a sinister look.

"I don't know their name but I do know two things. He kills Dragons for amusement and is famous for killing a family of Night Furies."

**A/N: Does anyone have any suggestions for what the cavern that the Dragons live in could be called?**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thank you Rogue147 for giving me the key word Haven!**

Disclaimer: I do not own How to Train Your Dragon.

Once again, silence fell across throughout the Haven, all eyes were on Toothless. But it only took one question for the uproar to start.

"What about the Moon Effect?" It was a Hideous Zippleback who asked this, it had been silently deciding between the two heads before the left one finally spoke up.

"You told us that it was a disease that killed all the Night Furies!"

"You lied to us!"

"Are you lying about the human as well?" Hiccup hid behind a rock from the Snap Trapper who said this.

Many more things were screamed at Toothless, until Hiccup could take it know more. He pushed his way through the crowd of fuming Dragons and stood by the gorgeous ebony beast, gently stroking his head to calm down the last Night Fury. Toothless, comforted by his actions, worked up the courage to face his people who he had lied to for so many years.

"SILENCE!" He roared at the top of his voice. The power in his voice silenced even the most rebellious Dragons. "I lied to you without good reason, and the only excuse I have is sentimental feelings. It's time I told you the real story."

Hiccup perked up, maybe the Moon Effect wasn't real, and Hiccup isn't going to die in five years?

Toothless continued his speech. "The Moon Effect is real," Damn. "Many of you have lost family and friends to the terror. But it didn't kill all of my kind. My family alone survived, but our victory was short lived." Everyone could hear the agony in his voice, and many felt guilty for forcing Toothless to walk back down Memory Lane, and reveal what horrors waited there. But Toothless had made a vow to do the best he could for his people. "Not long after, a man of great power rose in the Eastern Archipelago, a Dragon Hunter. He started by wiping out some Gronckles who lived on the main land, and defending smaller villages who were rarely attacked by even Zipplebacks. As he started to get stronger, he worked his way through the different species of Dragons, until all that was left was the legendary Dragons and the Night Furies. He knew that Berk was often attacked by my family, and went to Berk in hope of a good hunt. He got one.

"On just the first week he managed to brutally murder my Father. My Mother took over his position but was killed after just three days of fighting, and that just left me and my older sister. One day she went out for a morning flight over the mainland.

"I never saw her again.

"You were never told this because we didn't want you to fear a human, we didn't want you to know that there is a heartless and psychotic _creature_ out there that could kill one of the most powerful Dragon species." The Haven had fallen into a disturbing and tense stillness through the speech, with only one voice to break it. The way the last line was said, it was clear that the dreadful story was over.

Toothless climbed back into his cave and helped Hiccup up before dismissing them all. Toothless acted as though nothing had happened, but his eyes told a different story.

Hiccup moved forward to comfort him, but Toothless pushed him away and nudged the now perfectly cooked fish towards him.

"Eat." Hiccup happily obliged. "Go and finish bathing, now that most of the blood has been washed off, it won't be quite as disturbing."

After eating, Hiccup slowly walked up to the lake and felt the temperature with his hands. It was constantly heated by the Scauldron's blasts of boiling water, it was very inviting. Hiccup didn't see the tail wrapped around his ankle until it was too late, a Scauldron pulled him into the water and dragged him under. All around him, Scauldrons lay on the bottom of the lake, which had been smoothed down by centuries of Tidal class Dragons resting their heavy bodies on it, or simply by the ever changing current. Thunderdrums let out the occasional sound waves, forming surreal ripples through the crystal water, and a group of juveniles played a game of tag while dodging the sleeping forms of their parents. Hiccup stared at the wonderful view before him for as long as he could, however, Hiccup was a mammal, not a fish. So the need for air dragged him back up to the surface of the lake.

"Having fun Hiccup?" Renassa strolled up to where Hiccup had surfaced; she was walking with the Changewing Lan. "I never did get the chance to thank you."

"Thank me for what?"

"For performing the Dragon Passing Ritual of course." Lan pronounced as if was obvious.

"Oh, uh... You're welcome?" Hiccup laughed gently. He hadn't expected to be thanked for anything, it just didn't feel right.

Renassa looked at him strangely. "You're not used to being thanked, are you?"

"Well now that you mention it-" But both of them were already walking away, faint giggling could be heard.

After bathing he was given a proper tour of the Dragon's Haven. Hiccup was shown all the different nesting grounds so he wouldn't intrude. The one which was almost entirely covered in rocks belonged to the Gronckles. The Whispering Death's was a hole in the ground which led to a small network of complex tunnels. The Snap Trapper and Hideous Zippleback nests were outside the Haven in an enclosed space overflowing with greenery, and Tidal class Dragons laid their eggs on the beach safely tucked under the sand. All the other eggs were laid on ledges near the peak of the mountain.

The day had been long and strange, but after cleaning himself and learning the layout and territories of the small island, Hiccup went back up to Toothless's cave, where said Dragon was still laying. He approached Toothless carefully, aware that he wasn't in a very good mood at the moment. Toothless turned away, but Hiccup only proceeded to stroke the smooth dark scales, calming down both of them. Without warning, Toothless suddenly put two large paws on Hiccup and pulled the frail boy towards him and into an embrace.

"My Mother was a magnificent Dragoness...She was a fierce warrior and a caring Mother."

"_Toothless needs comfort after having to do what he did this morning." _As if Toothless had somehow read Hiccup's mind, he nuzzled the younger boy affectionately.

"Thank you for standing up for me out there, sometimes a leader needs help." Hiccup mumbled something too disorientated for even a Dragon to make out what he was saying."Hiccup, speak louder."

"I can fix your tail..." Then Hiccup fell into a deep slumber, leaving the grounded Dragon to sit there in shock.

**A/N: Sorry if my chapters are too short.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD.**

"_Hiccup's thoughts" Subconscious_

The next morning, Hiccup woke up in the embrace of Toothless, and had to take a moment to recall the events of the day before. And when he did, he mentally scolded himself for telling a grounded Dragon such a thing.

"_Why did I tell him that?"_

_You probably weren't thinking straight again._

He gently tried to crawl away without waking up the slumbering Night Fury, but many Dragons are such light sleepers that just the sound of someone tip toeing past can wake them. That's why they all go to sleep at the same time. That's also why Toothless woke up at the sight of Hiccup awkwardly crawling away from him.

"Go back to sleep Hiccup, it's too early to get up." He grumbled, and dragged Hiccup back for another hug.

"It's too hot to stay in bed...Toothless! Let go of me...!" Hiccup finally wriggled free and took a breath of fresh air. Or as fresh as you can get when all the Monstrous Nightmares have been blowing smoke rings all night. The summer warmth, a Night Fury's body heat and the heat from the fire released by a group of Terrible Terrors finally got to Hiccup, and he would've ran straight for the lake, except that the path was blocked by grouchy Dragons who were wondering what awoke them. Instead, Hiccup made the best of the situation and had to make do with just taking off his shirt (Because he was too self conscious to take off anything thing else), which was made out of many rags clumsily stitched together. But he regretted the decision the moment Toothless saw his back.

"Hiccup, your back..." Hiccup immediately backed up against the wall, hiding his secret. It was the simple mistake of forgetting they were there, but it was a simple mistake that Hiccup would come to despise immensely. Toothless silently crept forward, and threw Hiccup to the ground, making sure that the earth cushioned the impact. "Let me see!" Hiccup wanted it to remain unseen, but the powerful Dragon with talons and teeth didn't, so the human with no real physical strength and no sharp talons quickly lost the fight. Hiccup found himself on the floor lying on his stomach with two large paws preventing him from getting up.

Toothless's eyes widened in disbelief. The once soft skin was covered in the scars of the past, the marks from when people had watched him be flogged in the centre of the village. The angry marks of the whip could easily be distinguished from the thicker and deeper lines, which were undoubtedly caused by a scorching knife driven deep into the raw flesh, as Toothless leaned closer, he could smell the unmistakable stench of blood. Some of the marks were as recent as in the last week.

"Oh my-Hiccup! Why didn't you tell me?" Toothless said it with both worry and accusation in his voice.

Something in Hiccup finally snapped, as the anger from his past overwhelmed him.

"Tell you? Why should I tell you about the horrors of my past when you kept your own a secret from your own people? You may have lost your family and your tail fin, but have you experienced true pain? Do you know what it's like to be dragged away from your peaceful duties, tied to the statue of the God of _hope _and whipped in front of the entire village? Do you know what it's like to count the scars and remember the pain you felt that day? Do you know what it's like to be surrounded by people who could help, but stand there and _enjoy_ my agony? Do you know what it's like to be carried away to a dark room and feel a red hot knife cutting slashes in your skin repeatedly for hours on end? Do you know what it's like to hear a voice in your head telling you to kill the one person who loves you? Have you _any_ idea what it's like to see your own Father stand by and do _NOTHING_ while you get publically tortured? Well you wouldn't, because guess what Toothless! You don't have that stuff here, out there is where the true challenges await. Out there we have discovered many ways to inflict pure pain upon those who don't deserve it, and you wouldn't _dream_ of doing to your own people. But us humans? We just _love_ to see people writhe in pure agony, we don't care about the weaklings, we just enjoy seeing blood spill and hearing screams echo through the empty hallways of our hearts. So don't you _ever _think that you know it all, because ALL OF YOU KNOW NOTHING!"

"Hiccup, I..." But the furious boy had already reached the tunnel, and Toothless couldn't do anything to stop Hook Fang from helping Hiccup climb out of the cavern and into the outer reaches of the Haven.

And it was only then that Toothless remembered what Hiccup had said to him the night before.

Once outside, Hiccup took a much needed gulp of proper fresh air, and sprinted away into the forest.

When he was into the deepest part of the forest, he slowed to a walk and began to calm down to some extent. The unsightly marks burned brightly in the rising sun, and they started to sting after being in the sun too long. But Hiccup didn't mind, he was more than used to it. His fury subsided as he lay down on the fresh grass and looked up to the sky. The sun had fully risen now, and lit up the forest around the small figure. A group of hunting Terrible Terrors flew over the peaceful forest, and the birds sang beautifully in the trees. The serenity of the forest almost made Hiccup fall back asleep.

After a few minutes of dozing, an unexpected voice greeted him from behind.

"Hiccup."

"Renassa? I thought you were Toothless."

"Thought or wanted?" She walked up to him slowly.

"How did you find me out here?" Hiccup questioned curiously.

"Humans are easy to track." Hiccup stood up and leaned his head against an elderly Oak tree, Renassa stopped approaching him once she saw his scars.

"They're horrible, aren't they?"Renassa said nothing, she knew there was no point denying it. "I've had them for as long as I can remember, and each one has a different memory. Some worse than others, but still all bad experiences." She got over her shock, and continued walking towards him, until she was only a few inches away. Hiccup turned round to face those electric blue eyes. They were exactly the same as her daughter's.

"Turn around Dragon Whisperer." Hearing another Deadly Nadder call him that while staring into the same eyes was too memorable, but Hiccup did what she said.

"Renassa, what are you- ah!" a large wet tongue gently licked his wounds; soothing the pain and helping them heal.

"You're one of us now, Hiccup. We won't harm you, only help you." Hiccup let her continue, knowing that Mother Dragons often did this to their young.

Just as she finished, a large shadow landed behind them with worry and sadness in its large green eyes.

"Hiccup, I'm so sorry about earlier, are you alright?" Confusion appeared as Toothless observed the scene in front of him. He had expected to find Hiccup sobbing into his petite hands, or screaming at the Gods above. However, he found Renassa licking his back in a Motherly way and Hiccup enjoying every second of it. It was a strange sight, to say the least.

"Hiccup, I remember what you said to me last night."


	7. Chapter 7

"_Hiccup's thoughts" Annoying Conscious _

The moment had come. What was Toothless going to say?

"But considering the situation, I should talk about it later." He was staring at Renassa's tongue, which was still mothering Hiccup. After the gesture, Toothless flew away.

Wait, what?

Then he saw it. Twenty Terrors lifting Toothless off the ground and performing the job that the missing tail fin was supposed to do. Toothless still flapped his wings to keep them airborne, but it was still amusing to watch.

"Oh, err... Fenorir is here to give you a lift back to the Inner Haven." A large brown Gronckle settled down next to Hiccup.

"Remember me? I'm the one who carried you away."

"Yes, I do remember you. Do you still think it was a bad idea?" Hiccup laughed.

"Hop on youngling." Fenorir replied cheerfully.

Hiccup enjoyed every minute of the flight, and this time, he was on Fenorir's back, not uncomfortably clinging on desperately to his talons, with his feet dragging in the icy sea for most of the way. Gronckles aren't known for being fast, but Hiccup enjoyed the calm breeze and the astounding Dragon's eye view of the forest. During the journey, Hiccup socialized with the two Dragons flying alongside him. Despite the journey only lasting less than ten minutes, Hiccup had already found out that Fenorir had six hatchlings to look after, that Renassa hated Hook Fang for his sarcastic comments and aggravating attitude, and that her daughter was a war hero called Stormfly. But all good things have to come to an end, and soon the entrance to the cavern was within their sights.

After breakfast, which consisted of a salmon and edible vegetation, Hiccup sat down on the pebbly beach with Toothless, ready to discuss the pressing the matter of the missing tail fin.

For the first few minutes, the pair just sat on the beach watching the waves roll up and down the beach, feeling the pebbles beneath them, and watching the seagulls soar above them while squawking annoyingly. In fact, it was so irritating that Toothless let out an angry roar at the sky filled with birds, except that there wasn't any left afterwards.

"Well then..." Hiccup started, he could tell that the both of them were getting bored with the dull scenery of the grey ocean shrouded in a dense fog.

"You said you could fix my tail." Toothless said bluntly.

"It may be possible, but after going over the design in my head I've realised that it will require constant analysis of the measurements." Toothless gave him a blank look. "I will need to be constantly measuring you."

"Couldn't you just do all the measurements here?"

"No, because I still don't know what I will need to measure other than your tail."

"So you're saying that I will need to stay there with you?"

"Possibly, but I hope not. The other catch is that I don't know how you will control it yet." For quite some time the only sound on the beach was the sound of the waves crashing down on the shore, as Toothless was silent as he considered the options. They both unwillingly started staring at the clean cut where the elegant black fin essential for flying once was.

"Do you know anywhere safe for me to stay?"

"I know the safest and most beautiful spot on the entire island."

The tense silence continued for a few moments until:

"I'll need to sort out a few things before we leave, and I want a full analysis on where I will be staying before it's final."

And with that, Toothless made his way back to the mountain.

Hiccup couldn't believe his luck. There was so much that could go wrong, what if the villagers found Khynechi's Glen? What if they found the blueprints for the new tail? What if they got suspicious and interrogated him? What if-

_Stop worrying so much, it'll be fine! As long as you don't do anything stupid._

"_Define what you mean by stupid."_

"Hiccup, come inside, we need to talk to you!" The voice of Hook Fang echoed across the ominous beach.

Once inside, Hiccup didn't need to be told to walk up to the group of familiar Dragons and some unfamiliar hurriedly discussing something in a hushed tone. But as Hiccup approached, he was pushed away by Lan's partially invisible foot. She clearly didn't know it was him, so Hiccup cleared his throat loudly to get their attention. It didn't work. They were so engrossed in their conversation they hadn't realised the person they wanted was here.

"Uhh...Renassa?" Hiccup almost yelled it, because even though they were whispering, somehow it seemed very noisy, but after they started to quiet down until only one Dragon was talking. Hiccup managed to hear what the last thing they said was, but no more than that.

"Let's do it."

"Oh, hi Hiccup! We need you outside for a moment." It was a pale pink Typhoomerang who had said that, who was also, of course, a complete stranger to Hiccup.

Fenorir scooped him up in his talons and flew out of the cavern along with all the other Dragons who had been discussing the unknown topic.

"Fenorir! Please don't carry me like this, it's very uncomfortable." But the brown Gronckle happily carried on clutching the helpless human in his talons.

The pack of Dragons glided like a group of ghosts to the opposite side of Haven and to a diminutive lake in a clearing. It was only then that Hiccup realised that Toothless was nowhere to be seen.

Hiccup was at the mercy of the dangerous reptiles.

They dropped him into the clear lake and all stood safely on the ground near Hiccup.

"What are you..."But before Hiccup could even finish that sentence, Scauldrons appeared on the surface of the water, and through the water, Hiccup could see their cauldron-like stomachs heating up water to boiling temperature. Six heads in total surrounded him.

"_Now that I think about it, I do remember seeing a few Scauldrons flying with us."_

An ancient Terrible Terror stepped forward, and spoke the words Hiccup really did _not_ want to hear.

"Ok Hiccup, what are you really planning?"

"What do you mean?" Hiccup spluttered, trying to keep his head above the water. He was an excellent swimmer, but being surrounded by Dragons that could kill you just by spitting is enough to make anybody's concentration waver.

"What are your true intentions? We know you don't mean to fix his tail and let him fly away unharmed."

"I don't want to hurt anyone!"

A Scauldron behind Hiccup released some of its deadly water underneath Hiccup's feet, so he could feel just how much danger he was in. Even though it was beneath Hiccup, his toes still burned from the heat.

"Next time it will be aimed at you."

Hiccup didn't know what to say. If he told them he was innocent they wouldn't believe him, but if he told them he was going to hurt Toothless, they would undoubtedly kill him. And then he thought of something that may or may not help.

"What do you want to hear?"

"The truth." The answer meant only one thing was left to do.

"Then you shall hear it. I don't want to harm anyone, and I won't lie to you. Me giving Toothless a chance to fly again is my way of thanking you for giving me a home. There is nothing left for me on Berk; I have no reason to betray you. You are my new family, if I ever had one in the first place." Hiccup said defiantly. He wasn't going to lie to them.

A Scauldrons released their water, and Hiccup prepared for the blast of scalding water and...It never came. The water was barely warm.

"It was just a test." And as if nothing had happened, the Scauldrons spread their mighty wings and took off in direction of the Inner Haven. Renassa picked up Hiccup in her talons and began mothering him all over again, but Hiccup didn't notice. He was too busy trying to figure out what just happened.

_They tested you to see if you were actually planning anything._

"_But why?"_

_To see if you were trustworthy, I thought that was obvious._

Hiccup arrived back at the cavern covered in Dragon saliva, which earned some unwanted attention, but he didn't care. He climbed back into Toothless's cave were the Dragon himself was having a nap.

"Toothless, wake up." He whispered next to where he assumed Toothless's ear would be. But instead of waking up, Toothless just carried on dozing and wrapped his two front legs around Hiccup's torso.

"Wake up you lazy reptile." He said a bit louder.

No effect.

This time, he repeated the same playful insult, but screamed it into something that looked like an ear. And it worked perfectly. Toothless let out an annoyed growl and slowly got back to his feet.

"Oh...All right, come on then." Toothless muttered under his breath.

"What are you talking about?" Toothless seemed slightly confused, as if he had just had a very strange dream and woken up in the same area it took place in.

"I'm going to teach you to roar like a Dragon, so if you ever need any help, you can call us from afar. But we can't do it in here, I doubt they would appreciate hearing you scream at the top of your voice. Oh by the way, it's nice to see that you're alive."

And that's how Hiccup found himself in the forest trying to perfectly imitate a Night Fury scream.

"No, like this!" An ear splitting shriek echoed through the empty woodland, all the animals had already been scared away.

"Humans aren't made to make these sorts of noises!"

"Just try again."

Hiccup did but it sounded just as bad, if not worse than the other attempts.

Toothless hopped down from his perch on a sturdy tree branch and sat on his hind legs in front of Hiccup.

"You don't create the noise with your throat it comes from deep within you. That's what so special about the call of a Dragon. Besides, you're not fully human Hiccup. If you can speak Dragonese as easily as a Viking speaks Norse, then you can call a Dragon as easily as a Terrible Terror steals fish. Now try again, but this time, use what few natural instincts you were born with and trust your heart, not your head." Toothless placed one large paw on Hiccup's small head and tilted it up so they both looked into each other's eyes. Hiccup focused on the elegant creature of the night before him. The hypnotic green eyes staring curiously at Hiccup's soft brown eyes, and silently willed Hiccup to call for him. And in that moment of magic, where time ceases to exist and only two beings belong, Hiccup called out for Toothless in the form of a typical Night Fury roar. But despite it sounding like a normal call, there was something about it that made it special; it was unique in its own subtle way.

"That was perfect Hiccup." Toothless purred as Hiccup opened his eyes. "It should come as an instinct now." The two of them embraced, proud of what they had achieved for the day.

"We are ready to leave for Berk."

**A/N: Thank you for all of the nice reviews! It encourages me to continue this story.**

**I won't be abandoning this story so thou shalt not fear.**

**Err... does anyone have any ideas for who the Dragon killer could be?**


	8. Chapter 8

"_Hiccup's thoughts."_

The next morning, Renassa, Fenorir, a healer, a pack of loyal Monstrous Nightmares who would fight for them, the Elder Terrible Terror, Hiccup and Toothless began their journey at the first light of that glorious morning. Hiccup was carried by Renassa, the only Deadly Nadder in the pack, who was leaving after dropping Hiccup in Khynechi's Glen. He pointed them in the direction of Khynechi's Glen, but had trouble doing so in the misty conditions. Toothless lay leisurely on the back of a blue Nightmare, and the strange group of Dragons were led by Hiccup.

As they flew unseen over the village, Hiccup heard the Dragons growl threateningly at the Dragon heads mounted on spears. But as they looked closer, the growls were silenced with horror, and all eyes turned to Renassa.

It was Stormfly's head.

Renassa whimpered in melancholy. Hiccup stroked her soothingly, but everyone knew that they couldn't begin to understand just how terrible it was for the weeping Mother. It was only made worse when the Dragon killer came into view, still wearing his silver armour shaped to look like a Dragon.

Nothing else happened on the journey, the Elder Terror approved of the location Toothless was staying in and the sentries found places to hide so they could ambush any Viking that found the hidden glen. The head healer was also staying with them in case of injuries. Toothless had left Fenorir in charge while they were away. The morning was still fresh and the sun was still rising, and the only thing left was for Hiccup to go back to Berk. It had taken a lot of persuasion, and the one statement that had convinced Hiccup to leave was that he would have to do it at some point, and the longer he waited, the more suspicious it was that Hiccup miraculously turns up after being carried away by a Gronckle.

They had dropped him in the sea near the windy beaches of Berk to make it seem as though Hiccup was swimming back after being dropped in the sea.

And after ten minutes of laying on the beach exhausted from the freezing swim, a village girl found him and dragged him back to the centre of the village, where the statue of Freya stands. The statue represents hope in the everlasting war against Dragons.

The healer bandaged a cut Hiccup had got from Fenorir after being carried the wrong way, wrapped him in furs and moved him next to a fire. But Hiccup knew that the kindness wouldn't last much longer.

To prove it, Snotlout walked through the door with an arrow in his arm.

"Oh look, it's the worthless runt. It's a shame that Gronckle didn't kill you when it had the chance, no one would have missed someone like you." He spat nastily. He then proceeded to tell the entire village they had the _slave_ back, and soon it was like Hiccup had never left the village.

After just half an hour, Hiccup was back to the usual laborious tasks. This time, he was washing someone's clothes for them, which is worse than it sounds when most of the Vikings were chainmail all day, and for some, all night. But as he worked, many of the villagers stared at him, and they all kept a distance from him. And it all made sense at seven o' clock in the evening, which is when any important meetings are held. With fingers raw from scrubbing armour all day, two burly men grabbed Hiccup from behind and stuffed him into an old sack, then dragged him into the Great Hall.

Inside, the fire was crackling and the air was thick with pressure. They had set up a platform hanging over the raging fire so if the accused attempted to escape, they would fall to a scorching death at the hands of the laughing fire.

Hiccup was pulled out of the sack that actually contained three rotten potatoes, and tied Hiccup to the platform. As the bridge was pulled away, the innocent boy's last chance of escape plummeted to the ground as a failure. But even if Hiccup could escape the platform, the vicious Vikings would get him.

"Well Hiccup, I'm sure you know why you're here." Astrid had bribed her way into being the one who could be the judge for the evening, and it had cost her five sheep, eleven hens, and four Yaks she secretly stole from the unsupervised farms. In her mind, it was worth it.

"I don't, please enlighten me." Hiccup replied formally.

"We want to know how you escaped with only a scratch."

"_Think of a lie...Hiccup, come on you can do this." _Hiccup thought to himself in the third person.

"Well, you see, the Gronckle tried to kill me, but I escaped before it could do more than scratch me, and I dropped down into the sea. I got caught up in the current and washed up on one of the deserted islands. While I was there, I spent the time building a boat out of any decent materials I could find. Then I set sail for Berk, and here I am."

"Oh really?" Astrid clearly didn't believe him. "Then where is the boat?"

"It broke."

"Where are the remains?"

"It broke while I was in the sea, and it sank. That's why I was swimming."

Nobody believed him. Would you? By Hiccup's standards, it was quite good, but Hiccup was the worst liar in the entire village.

"Are you going to tell us the truth or not?" Astrid demanded impatiently.

The rough rope cut into Hiccup's petite wrists and the smoke and heat made Hiccup light headed again. When he was around his Dragon friends, it went away quite easily. But the stress and trauma of life on Berk caused his vision to swim.

Hiccup was too anxious to focus on the more pressing issue, and before Hiccup even had a chance to think straight, she had announced that it had been decided.

"Ok," she started gleefully, "You will get one punishment for lying, and another for all the duties you missed. We will now decide what will happen to you."

The way they decided was quite simple. All the villagers would write down a type of torture that lasted no longer than an hour on a piece of paper, then all the paper would get collected into one box. The judge drew out three pieces of paper which would not be chosen, and then the fourth bit of paper would be chosen. The idea was to make the accused more scared than they were before.

Silence fell as everyone, excluding Hiccup, wrote down a type of torture. The children begged their mothers to let write them something, but were hushed by the eerie stillness.

The time had come, and Snotlout and Astrid both wore a look of malice on their faces.

"The first answer is," Astrid drew out a crumpled piece of paper, "Ten slashes from a hot knife!" It was good to know that that wasn't Hiccup's fate, but there was nothing saying that someone else couldn't write it down as well.

"The second is a Village Drag!" A Village Drag was when you were tied to a startled horse or grounded Dragon and dragged through the village while people got to throw blunt weapons at you.

"The third is six nonfatal stabs! And for the Fate of our accused... Half Drowning!" At least it wasn't the third or the first.

"The first answer for the second punishment is twenty lashes of a whip."

Astrid impatiently picked a neatly folded but stained paper.

"The second answer is beaten to near death, and the third is having his hands cut off, and the fourth is..." If it had been the third answer, Hiccup wouldn't have been able to fix Toothless's tail."Twenty slashes from a red hot knife!" Snotlout cried out in triumph, that was his bit of paper.

"_Twenty slashes!? I can barely manage ten cuts, how will I maintain my sanity through this?"_

"It will take place tonight, first at the beach and then in the centre of the village, you are all invited to watch. Until then, I want him kept in a cell so he doesn't escape." And just like that, Hiccup's fate was sealed.

Now it had been over four hours since then, and only ten minutes remained until the first punishment. Many villagers had gathered on the beach, patiently awaiting Hiccup's arrival. Hiccup had decided not to call Toothless in fear of what might happen with the Dragon killer present. But no one can stop time itself, and soon the guard came knocking on the heavy iron door.

Hiccup was taken to the sandy beach, where most of the population of Berk was there, holding flaming torches and standing on the old dock. At the very end, the Dragon killer stood dressed in black iron armour. As the guest in Berk, he was given the privilege of being the one who got to torture Hiccup. And it was only then that Hiccup realised that he wouldn't be able to call for Toothless if things got out of control. Only Tidal class Dragons and other creatures born for the sea can communicate under water, and Hiccup was neither.

Once he reached the end of the dock, Hiccup was pushed to his knees at the water's edge and an iron collar as dark as the Dragon killer's armour locked around his throat. The water was lit up by the various ships holding an audience for the show, who were lighting contained fires at both ends of the boats so they could constantly watch the show.

Someone grabbed the back of his head and slowly lowered Hiccup's head into the calm sea, and it was this moment Hiccup had been saving air for.

Then the water hit him.

The cold froze Hiccup's blood and the icy temperatures burned right through him. The shock of the water forced him to release a precious bubble of air before he got it under as much control as he could muster. Although it had been a full minute, surprisingly it hadn't felt that long. Hiccup was violently pulled back to the surface by the chain on his collar, spluttering and gasping for air. He found himself face to helmet with the killer himself, who was laughing at the way Hiccup gasped for sweet oxygen. This time he kept hold of the chain and pushed the suffering boy down into the depths of the icy ocean, and put his hand, which was covered by a heavy gauntlet, on Hiccup's head and held him under water. With no chance to prepare for the sudden movement, Hiccup clawed at the hand that held him down and in his desperation to live, accidently breathed in a large gulp of disgustingly salty water that filled his lungs and withered his hope of surviving. He was brought back to the surface and brutally punched in the chest to dislodge the water, and then shoved back down into the murky sea. Hiccup stopped struggling and just floated there- his wish of surviving long dead. He started to look towards the surface, where the light from the torches danced happily through the night, and where the outline of his torturer was distorted and looked nearly as screwed up as the Dragon killer's personality. It was unknown to Hiccup, but he was down there for four minutes the third time, and only the fact that he calmed himself and his Dragon blood anchored his spirit to the living world. So when he surfaced for the final time, he could just about make out the distant gasps of shock from the watchers, who had all presumed he was dead after he had gone still. Hiccup was dragged onto the dock where he lay panting for breath. And he was given only a few seconds to recover before the mask of the Dragon killer appeared in his line of vision, and in a rasping voice it said the words that chilled Hiccup to the bone better than the harsh cold of the sea ever could.

"I don't know how you survived being down there so long, but I promise that your next trail will be one you never forget."

Then the boy who had lost hope was dragged to his next punishment, where he would be chained to the statue that represented all hope in life.

**A/N: The reason Stormfly was the one who died is because I wanted her to have some significance in the story, and I wanted there to be one character of each Dragon species that interacted with Hiccup regularly and I didn't want two Deadly Nadders, and by the time I actually needed to decide what the daughter's name was, it was too late to change Renassa to Stormfly.**


	9. Chapter 9

Hiccup's eyes stung from the salt water, and his energy was completely drained from thrashing about under the sea, and nothing was going to stop someone from stabbing the suffering boy. Hiccup had promised himself that he wouldn't call for Toothless if the Dragon killer was present, but even if he did, Hiccup doubted even a Dragon would be able to hear him from the other side of the island. With two of the most terrifying and longest punishments, even some of the tougher Vikings were beginning to feel at least pity for him. Of course, this didn't include Astrid and Snotlout, who were both enjoying the show.

The Dragon killer dragged Hiccup into the centre of Berk and chained Hiccup to the statue of Freya, leaving the chain attached to the collar on Hiccup untouched. He tore off Hiccup's tattered shirt leaving his back completely bare.

"You've been here quite a few times, haven't you?" He ran a finger over the unsightly scars; Hiccup could tell he found it interesting in a sick and twisted way.

"I've had fifteen years to collect them." Hiccup wasn't going to let them see his fear, but maybe he didn't have a choice.

Someone had already heated up the knife, which was serrated thanks to the disgustingly creative mind of the torturer, who was once again the metal monster. But the Dragon killer wanted to make it last longer, so he started off with throwing some of the embers onto Hiccup's exposed and tender flesh. Hiccup forced himself not to cry out, and he tasted blood on his lip from where he had been biting it while trying to not scream. It scorched his skin, but was not as bad as it could have been. And then came the knife. It didn't go deep, but the heat did. The gash was on the lower back, where there were few scars, and it ran horizontally across the entire length of his back, and then the next slice came, and went a lot deeper than the first. The heat penetrated Hiccup's very soul, and he prayed that he would black out and miss all the pain. Until he finally couldn't hold it in any more, he screamed into the night, the agony was carried into the scream and filled the night with suffering and misery. It disturbed the spectators so much, that some covered their ears, and a few even slowly started making their way home. They had only ever seen Hiccup flogged, the other punishments were all privately decided and done away from prying eyes. There were three more quick cuts, and then the Dragon killer stopped for a minute to reheat the knife. The cool breeze stung the fresh wounds, and the blood of the innocent stained the earth. The serrated edge of the knife had torn through the flesh like a knife through warm butter. After it was reheated, the flat side of the knife was held against the distressed skin, and seared Hiccup's back until it was raw and almost sticky and melted. Miraculously, he didn't catch fire. And then it was back to the knife. The Dragon killer stuck the knife, which was literally glowing red from the heat, back into the second cut, slowly forcing it deeper and deeper into the wound. And that was when Hiccup lost his control on his new instincts. He released a blood curdling roar that echoed through the entire island, filled every pore and crease in the landscape, all living things heard it, including one particular Night Fury who gathered his pack of Monstrous Nightmares and set off to find the source. But back on Berk, the villagers stared at Hiccup with pure shock and disbelief, the Dragon killer in particular. It's not every day you hear a young boy roar exactly like a Night Fury. It only took minutes for a swarm of Dragons attacked the unprepared village, which people had spent trying to get an answer out of the boy who was too ashamed to speak.

With a mighty battle cry, the warriors leapt into battle, pulling weapons out of nowhere and rushing to meet the Dragons with determination and iron blades. Many people died that night, but I cannot say the same for the Dragons. They completely overwhelmed everything, for only the best Vikings go after Monstrous Nightmares.

"Hiccup!" Toothless rushed to the aid of the young boy, and with a mighty swipe of his talons, the chains gave way. The great black beast scooped up the Dragon Whisperer and carried him away to the safety of the forest. But before he could do that, the Dragon killer stepped calmly into the path of the raging Night Fury. The protective Dragon gently placed the frail human on the ground and ran towards the mighty warrior seeking blood.

The healer carried Hiccup back to Khynechi's Glen and looked nervously to the Night Fury, who could be walking to its untimely death.

The entire battle field stopped fighting, including the healer carrying Hiccup in its talons. It put Hiccup on the ground, knowing how important this moment was.

Then it started.

Teeth bit down on armour, blades lunged at scales, and talons scraped at flesh. The two fought together, and wounds appeared all over Toothless, and armour broke and dropped off, revealing the powerful arms and a torso covered in scars from fights with other unfortunate Dragons. And that was when Hiccup finally snapped.

This man... he had tortured Hiccup because he enjoyed it, he had nearly wiped out the entire population of Night Furies, and now he was trying to kill the one who mattered the most in Hiccup's life, the one who saved him from himself, and the one who had given Hiccup his purpose in life. Well_ now_ he had had enough. Hiccup picked up a sword that had been knocked out of another's hand, and rushed to join the fight. Of course, the Dragon killer was too busy to notice this, and didn't see Hiccup raise the sword above his head until it was too late.

With one mighty swing of the sword, the unprotected right hand of the Dragon killer came clean off. The man himself stared at where his hand used to be, there now was only a stump. But Hiccup didn't stop there. He continued to aim for the other hand, and would've succeeded if Toothless hadn't have grabbed him and ran off.

Hiccup had forgot that he was supposed to look like he was on the Viking's side, but by attacking the Dragon killer he had committed treason and also was looked upon as though he was fighting for the Dragons. To cover it up, Toothless pretended to attack the seething boy beneath him and gave out orders to break up the crowd by attacking the villagers. And when no human was looking, the healer carried Hiccup away and Toothless jumped onto the back of Hook Fang.

The entire group of Dragons retreated in different directions to fool the clueless Vikings and regrouped in Khynechi's Glen.

Hiccup, who had calmed down, was laid down on his front so the healer could inspect his wounded back.

"I don't see how humans can perform such horrible procedures like this."

"He's covered in burns, get him in the water!"

"Will he be ok?"

"I don't know, the wounds are quite deep. Whoever was doing it knew exactly what to do."

A green healing paste was smothered over Hiccup's wounds, and the cold water lapped against the damaged skin, washing away the scarlet blood and soothing the burns.

"There's nothing else we can do now, only time will tell what will become of him."

Toothless carefully dragged Hiccup back onto the damp sand and looked at the cuts himself. It was immediately clear that the other slices that were done in the past were just done lightly, but the ones caused by the Dragon killer were deep, and the embers that he had thrown onto Hiccup at the beginning had gotten into the cuts and worsened, and despite the heat partially sealing the wounds, Hiccup had lost a lot of blood, and would probably be traumatised by the effect of both effects of both events of the unfortunate night.

Toothless wiped the paste off his back, knowing it was useless now that the effects had already taken place, and lovingly curled around the fragile boy. They looked into each other's eyes and a sense of understanding passed between them.

"I'm sorry Toothless."

"It's ok Hiccup, it's natural to get angry at someone. Besides, you basically helped the entire species of Dragons by cutting off the hand he holds his axe with."

They were both silent after that, both of them had had their injuries attended to, and both were exhausted by the day's events. And both fell asleep in the comfort of the other's presence.

**A/N: Sorry if this was a bit short.**

**Vitimontherun: I don't really want another OC after Renassa, Lan, and Fenorir but I like your ideas.**

**And .7, I'm sorry about there being more scars, but maybe these will be the last?**


	10. Chapter 10

Hiccup woke up in a world of pain, and groaned loudly as a result, thankfully his wounds hadn't killed him over night. He was covered in something black and leathery, and lying in the embrace of a mighty beast, who also had multiple wounds over his body. Toothless opened his magnificent green eyes and stared into Hiccup's contently.

"How are you feeling?"

"A lot better, thanks to the healer. I can't believe I cut off his hand-"

"You did the right thing Hiccup." But Toothless's expression was turning more worried by the second. He unwrapped his mighty wings from around Hiccup and walked over to the water's edge. "You might want to wash you burns again, there are quite severe. Hiccup?"

"I can't move."

"What do you mean you can't move?"

"It hurts too much to move."

"Paralysed by pain... I never thought I would see such a thing." Toothless, with his teeth safely tucked away, took hold of Hiccup's arm in his mouth and dragged Hiccup into the water. "Better?"

"Yes. Toothless, I can't go back."

"I'm sure you can. I get the feeling that most will be afraid of you now that they know that you can call upon a group of Monstrous Nightmares to come to your aid. We will be watching you to make sure nothing happens."

"Are you sure about this?"

"No, but I wasn't sure if it was a good idea to save your life when you first arrived in the Haven, and looked how things turned out! I found the first Dragon Whisperer in over two hundred years and got a perfect partner in the process."

"Partner?" Hiccup questioned. Did partner mean something different to Dragons?

"Let's go get breakfast. I'm in the mood for Trout."

"Toothless! What happened to your cuts?" They had mostly healed up over night, and were only a few pink marks. Unlike Hiccup's, which were going to take a long time to heal fully.

"Dragons heal faster than humans." Toothless said simply. "Now, where is the best place to fish?"

Hiccup strode confidently to wear he kept what few belongings he owned, and picked up a sharp spear with feathers attached to the blunt end.

"Watch and learn." Hiccup crept up next to the raging waterfall, and expertly threw the spear at the fish gathered below. After withdrawing the spear, Toothless saw Hiccup had speared an entire Catfish.

"How do you do that? It looks very difficult."

"I've had most of my life to practice." Hiccup laughed gently at Toothless's amazement.

"Can I have the Trout please?" Toothless requested quietly.

"Which one?"

"The big one."

After eating, the two of them and the healer set off to face the music at Berk. When they reached the edge of the forest, Toothless posted sentries hidden in the trees in case the villagers tried anything, and Toothless and the healer gathered herbs in case his injury got any worse. All that was left to do now was for Hiccup to reintroduce himself and hope for the best.

As he walked through the village, people stared at him with...What was that? Doubt? Respect? Fear? Whatever it was, it kept them from making Hiccup do any of his usual duties, so it meant Hiccup could just walk to the forges without being bothered. When he arrived back at the forges, Gobber wasn't there, so he went and started the plans for Toothless's tail.

"Hiccup, you're alive thank Thor, where have you been?" Gobber got quite a shock when he strolled in one fine morning and saw someone presumed to be dead sitting at their usual desk as if nothing had happened. "Are you ok after last night? Did the Dragons hurt you?"

"Gobber, I'm fine! I would rather be carried away by a pack of Monstrous Nightmares than relive what would have happened if they didn't rescue me last night. Seriously, that was only a quarter of my "punishment" and the Dragons said that I was already in bad condition, imagine what would have happened if they hadn't have pulled me out of there."

"The Dragons said that to you? Hiccup, Dragons can't talk."

"Actually, you weren't supposed to hear that." There was a few moments of silence before someone finally spoke.

"Well, I better get back to work." They both said it at the same time, adding to the awkwardness.

As Hiccup completed his diagram, he marvelled at his work. There was a quick sketch of Toothless's tail and on the left side of it; there was a detailed illustration of the fake tail. It was to be made out of a light but strong metal, with actual Dragon skin so it wouldn't tear up in the wind and worked on a hinge, so it could open and close just like a real tail fin. Now that the easy bit was over, it was time to actually make it. He pulled some nails out of an old shield, and welded metal together in high temperatures and avoided the gaze of any people passing by. . It took eight long hours of constant work and full focus, but it was worth it. It was a subtle shade of brown that you might find in a forest, the metal was the best they had on Berk, and it had simple yet effective buckles to bind it to Toothless's tail. Hiccup slipped out of the village and arrived back at Khynechi's Glen by sunset without anyone noticing he was gone.

Back in the glen, most of the sentries were laying around, and some were even sleeping. He padded up to Toothless and showed him the tail, Toothless gazed in astonishment.

"It's magnificent, you have exceeded my expectations." He complimented quietly.

"Would you like to try it on?"

They tied it on where the left tail fin used to be, and Hiccup stood back to admire his work. It was precisely the same size as the other fin, and didn't stand out too much. In other words, it was perfect.

"...Hiccup...how do I move it to match the movement of the other fin?" Silence was his answer. "I see. So there is a lot of work to still be done."

"Yes. I can't say when it will be finished."

Throughout the next hour, Toothless was strangely quiet. Hiccup asked him about it, but was ignored and left standing there without an answer. It was only after dinner that Hiccup was called for; he was led away from the group of chattering Dragons and into a cave away from the sentries.

"Hiccup, is there something you're not telling me?" As a matter of fact, there was. But how do you tell your best friend that you most likely have an incurable disease?

"What makes you say that Toothless?"

"Your eyes have changed colour." He replied bluntly.

"What do you mean?" At this point, Hiccup was highly confused.

"I mean that your eyes, which used to be brown, are now just as green as mine."

"Oh gods, when did you notice?" Hiccup started to hyperventilate, "I was going to tell you, I just wasn't sure yet or how to say it, it's just-"

"I noticed this morning. Tell me what? Is there a logical explanation for this?"

"Uhh..." There was no turning back now. "Toothless, I think I have the Moon Effect." Toothless stared at him as if he had gone crazy, and Toothless knew he didn't have to tell him that only Dragons could get the disease.

"What made you think that in the first place?"

"For weeks I've been feeling lightheaded, and it only went away a bit when I was in the Haven, I keep hearing a voice in my head and I've been really tired. And my eyes changed colour, which means I will go blind soon." Toothless sighed wearily, concealing his anger at Fate from Hiccup.

"I hate to say this, but there is nothing we can do. It also means we have to complete the tail fin as fast as possible."

"I'm sorry Toothless. I should have told you sooner."

"It's ok Hiccup, there is still a chance you will live. The human part of you might reject the disease, but I'm not promising anything."

The two embraced each other, knowing that soon Hiccup wouldn't be able to see the one who saved him from himself, and that that day could arrive at any time within eight months. Two pairs of green eyes gazed back at one another lovingly, and once again fell asleep in the soothing presence of the other's spirit, knowing that the next day could bring many more challenges than the last.

As morning arrived, a powerful beast and a sort of helpless boy both hissed at the sunlight and rolled over to fall back asleep.

When mid morning arrived, the only thing that stopped them both from going back to sleep was the Terrible Terror screeching in their ears telling them to wake up or they would go without breakfast. It worked, a bit.

"Go away Iggy, it's too early." Toothless grumbled in his normal morning grouchiness.

"It's last call for the Salmon!" That worked a lot better.

Toothless hauled himself and Hiccup to the lake and picked up breakfast. "Hiccup...wake up...gods, he calls me lazy," he laid Hiccup face up and crouched over him. "HICCUP, WE'RE HAVING FISH FOR BREAKFAST!" the sleepy boy instantly awakened and instinctively called out for Toothless when he saw a Dragon "attacking" him, until he realised who was doing the "attacking". Because any one wouldn't be able to think straight if they woke to a pair of jaws in their face screaming something about fish. "You humans are funny."

"You Dragons are weird. What were you saying just now?"

"Fish"

"Ugh, why is it always fish?"

The playful chatter continued throughout the day, including while Hiccup was working on the tail. Iggy was the great grandson of the Elder Terror, and filled Hiccup in on the traditions and ways of the Dragons from the Haven. Who would've thought that the Dragons held a ceremony on the harvest moon in memory of those who died in battle? By the end of the day, Hiccup already had a map in his mind marking the different territories of every Dragon species, where the nicer Dragons lived and where the best places to have a nap were.

Hiccup had thought of multiple ways to control the tail fin, and unfortunately, they all included Hiccup riding on Toothless's back, which the Dragon probably wouldn't like. But a solution they were, and those were the only choices that Hiccup could come up with. So all he needed now was Toothless's opinion.

**A/N: Who else remembers Iggy?**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Sorry for the wait.**

It had been three days since Toothless had found out that Hiccup had the Moon Effect, and so far there had been no changes to Hiccup's eyesight. They had also finished the tail fin which was controlled by Hiccup; he used a mechanism that could control it merely by moving his foot.

They sailed across the great sky, surfed the winds and constantly checked the fin to make sure it hadn't broke in the forever changing air current. Today both the boy and the Night Fury flew nervously over the grand seas of the Archipelago, taking the fake fin for a test and making sure they both knew the different positions Hiccup needed to burn into his memory. They were more uneasy than ever before, knowing that if the fin broke, a fall from this height could seriously harm the toughest Dragon.

"How are you Hiccup?"

"The same as you, pretending to be brave but secretly fearful on the inside."

They went down into a dive and pulled up away from the sea just in time, but still grazed the water. As Berk came into view, they changed direction and set course for Khynechi's Glen. It turned out that Toothless would like to have someone to talk to while flying, even if it added extra weight. Both of them hadn't spoken much through the test flight, Hiccup was concentrating on the pedal positions, and Toothless was filled with frightened ecstasy at the feeling of flying again.

They landed without any injuries or accidents, so the day had been quite successful. In fact, they were ready to leave for the Haven, but there was something Hiccup was not going to leave without doing, despite the Dragons' protests.

As night fell over the island, Hiccup padded softly through empty streets of Berk and towards the forges. He picked up the spare tail fin, which had been dyed black to match the scaly hide of a Night Fury in case they needed to pretend that Toothless could fly on his own. He then crept up to Gobber's house, which is easier said than done. Hiccup picked his way through the mess of weapons scattered on the floor as quietly as possible, but unfortunately, still made many loud noises. Two muscular men patrolling the village peered inside the house and would have seen Hiccup if he hadn't have hidden behind a giant ballista that somehow fitted into the messy house. Gobber obviously stayed asleep during the entire process and showed no signs of waking up when Hiccup shook him. Or when Hiccup slapped him. An empty bottle of mead was lying among the mess on floor along with three others. The only way to wake him up would involve making noise and alerting the guards, and it didn't seem like much of a choice until it gave Hiccup a devious plan. He smashed one of bottles on Gobber's head, which disturbed Iggy who was sleeping in Hiccup's coat, and hid behind the dormant ballista and waited for the guards. They woke Gobber up with much more ease than Hiccup and questioned him. When they got nothing, they left and before the mostly drunk man could go back to sleep, Hiccup steeped out of the shadows and into the not-as-dark shadows in front of Gobber. He sat up wearily and stared straight at Hiccup as if he had seen a ghost.

"Hiccup, what do you need?" he said with exhaustion in his voice.

"I'm here to explain things and to... Say goodbye." Hiccup hoped the intoxicated man wouldn't fall asleep.

"What, why? You haven't been given a death sentence have you?" It certainly woke Gobber up to some extent.

"No, I'm leaving with the Dragons." Hiccup ignored the confused look on Gobber's face and carried on. "What I'm about to tell you, you may only tell my father. You need to promise me that you will do your very best to make sure no one finds out." Even drunk Gobber understood the significance of what he was about to be told, and gave Hiccup his word. "When I was carried away by that Gronckle nearly a week ago, it didn't kill me and I found out that I can communicate with every Dragons species and understand everything they say. They gave me a home and in return I'm helping a Night Fury learn how to fly after an accident that downed it. And now I will be leaving Berk in hope of finding my place in the world." Hiccup kept it short and skipped out many details. Like how he might die in five years, but that wasn't important right now. Gobber took this all in with a straight face, understanding what Hiccup was saying. But he was speechless, unable to form any words, let alone sentences.

"Goodbye Gobber. Thank you for showing me kindness when no one else would."

"Come back to me one day, ok?" Gobber ruffled the boy's hair one last time before falling asleep unwillingly. Hiccup only smiled at this, remembering the last time Gobber had drunk too much, and started making his way back to Khynechi's Glen. But a familiar figure with only one hand stepped out of the darkness, and two teenagers Hiccup really did not want to see blocked the only way to escape.

The large armoured figure in front of Hiccup was wearing black armour with suspicious red stains on it, and behind Hiccup stood Astrid, wielding her double sided axe, and Snotlout who held a hammer in each hand. There was no escape.

"Hiccup..." the Dragon killer purred dangerously "I don't know what you truly are. A shifter, a changeling, a Whisperer, but whatever your true form is, I will hunt you down for what you did." He held out his right arm which ended in a stump and slowly stalked towards Hiccup menacingly, and the teens behind Hiccup followed the Killer's movements.

Upon seeing the danger Hiccup called once again for Toothless, but no immediate answer came. Hiccup focused on the situation, he was unarmed, no help was going to arrive any time soon and he couldn't run away. It wasn't looking very promising. Iggy crawled out of Hiccup's coat and breathed fire in a ring around Hiccup in an attempt to ward off the attackers, but Terrible Terrors were the weakest of the Dragon species and were only a threat in large numbers. Nevertheless, Hiccup was grateful. He dodged the blades that were swung at him from different directions and avoided the flailing hammers, but the only thing that kept Hiccup alive is that the Dragon killer had to fight left handed. But with three foes it couldn't last long. A heavy hammer was brought down upon Hiccup's back and knocked him to the floor, where he lay in pain and vulnerable. But at the last second-literally the last second- the roar of a greater threat echoed from the forest, followed by the sound of approaching Dragons who were in a state of ferocity. The pack of Monstrous Nightmares leaped from the foliage and headed straight for the Dragon killer. Snotlout ran away to the comforts of home and left the other two to fight without him. Astrid faced the Nightmares with a thirst to kill, but the Killer focused on Hiccup. He was being pulled away from the fight and towards the forest, with the Killer chasing him. Nightmares attacked from every angle but his desire for revenge forced him to fight through the pack of furious Dragons and continue towards Hiccup. Unfortunately, he managed to catch up and grabbed Hiccup's left foot. The Killer anchored his feet to the bloodied corpse of a Dragon that had been caught by the wrong end of the sword, and pulled. The Monstrous Nightmare stopped moving and noticed that something was pulling it back, so it also forced its way forward. It was a game of Tug-of-war and Hiccup was the rope, and finally someone gave up. Surprisingly, it was the Dragon killer, but he had something more sinister planned. The Killer could have simply let go like a normal person would, but as we know, the Dragon killer is not a normal person. He was a psychopathic murderer who enjoyed the suffering of others. Instead, he tucked Hiccup's left leg under his arm as if there wasn't a fully grown Dragon trying to snatch Hiccup away and with his only hand, he pulled out his dagger. It must have been fate that it was the same dagger that had inflicted the wounds on Hiccup's back and would then be the same one used in the act of impatience and revenge. The Killer pulled out that dagger, and just like what Hiccup did, in one mighty swing Hiccup's left foot was severed from the rest of his body. Hiccup screamed in agony and the Nightmare dropped him, startled from the sudden scream. And it was only then that Toothless appeared. Toothless dropped down from above onto the Dragon killer's back and began furiously biting away the armour, to get to the weak skin beneath. Seeing Hiccup in that state of agony because of killer fuelled Toothless's rage and it wasn't long before he had over powered the Dragon killer. And simply for the sake of vengeance, Toothless bit off the killer's own left foot, leaving the man without a right hand or a left foot. Toothless carried Hiccup onto the back of Hook Fang who then flew away with the both of them on his back, the surviving Dragons began the journey to return to the Haven with the knowledge that the situation had just gotten a lot worse.

**A/N: Sorry, but it was going to happen at some point.**

**Shifter- something that can change its shape at will.**

**Changeling- a being that will change into another species permanently at a certain age.**

**Whisperer- short for Dragon Whisperer.**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: the only reason I cut off Hiccup's foot is because in the movies he loses his left foot and I didn't want there to be too many differences.**

**Also, if you're not happy with this chapter, feel free to tell me what I need to improve on. Because I'm not happy with this either. It's just too unrealistic.**

Back in the Haven, the other Dragons were in high spirits when they saw Toothless again, but not so much when they saw Hiccup. He was in terrible condition and was almost at death's door. The cavern was silent as the feeble boy was laid down beside the lake.

Every healer was crowded around Hiccup, and they all knew the harsh truth.

"Toothless... there is nothing we can do."

The mighty Night Fury growled in anger, irritation, and melancholy. Renassa, who was no longer in charge, padded over and wrapped a wing around Toothless as a way of comfort, but he was motionless, it took quite a while for him to find his voice.

"Yes, there is."

"Toothless-

"Fenorir, I need you to carry Hiccup _gently_ and I will need the Elders and anyone close to Hiccup to join me." Iggy stepped forward boldly before anyone could stop him.

"I will join you, no matter how dire the situation may seem." Iggy had grown rather fond of the young boy, and didn't want to leave him after just three days of meeting each other. "Grandfather? You have been teaching me the best ways to help those around me; I'm ashamed that you are unwilling. The same goes for the rest of the Elders." And slowly, the effect of the speech worked as each Elder of every species dragged themselves away from the crowd. Renassa joined them too, but no healers were permitted to come.

Soon, the odd collection of fire breathing reptiles was flying low over the forest with Toothless carried by Renassa. Thankfully, it didn't take long for them to reach their destination, which was a large rock sticking out of the mountain with a perfect view of the full moon. Hiccup was placed on the highest point of the rock with Toothless standing behind him. The rest of the Dragons positioned at least ten metres back. The light from the moon lit up the rock, reminding them all of who had once stood here staring at the very same moon with blind eyes. The pale light caressed the equally pale boy, and so it started.

"Many of you know what I am about to do, but for those who do not know of the closely guarded secrets of an Elder, I shall tell you." The pain in Toothless's voice was infinite, but there was still a trace of courage and hope in him. "The moon disease can easily affect those who have experienced a lot of emotional pain in their lives; the Moon Effect is unique because it is linked to one thing: the mind. The first two symptoms, light-headedness and exhaustion, is what it feels like to lose control over your own thoughts, which is why many hear another voice in their head. The loss of sight is also the loss of the ability to see and judge, to not be able to "read" another's mind and communicate without words. Change of eye colour mirrors what the inner mind unconsciously desires, we all know what happens in five years. We didn't share the information because we didn't want the entire Haven to know that there is no cure for a disease of the mind. What I recently found out is that Hiccup has the Moon Effect, and we know that the moon can keep the effected alive until the moon decides it's time for them to die." Renassa, Fenorir and Iggy all stared at him as if he had gone crazy. Toothless was making it sound as though the moon was some almighty god. "The moon has decided that Hiccup's Dragon blood shall be the death of him." Toothless gestured to the boy behind him who only had a few minutes left. "Tonight... we leave Hiccup's fate to the moon. He turned around and placed a paw on the dying's head and whispered unheard words in Hiccup's ear. The Elders walked forward one by one and drew the symbol of each species in a circle around Hiccup, and then it was the other's turn. They had been told what to do, and together with their fiery breath, the burned a large eye into the ground with Hiccup at the very centre. The iris was the circle of symbols.

That was all they could do, so all that was left now was to fly away. It left a feeling of helplessness in their hearts. Toothless was the last to leave, staying with Hiccup for as long as he could, knowing that this could easily be the last time he saw the boy alive.

**Hiccup's POV**

I woke up, or at least I think I woke up, standing in front of the full moon and feeling very confused. There was nothing supporting me so I was merely floating in mid air. But what really bewildered me was that my body was translucent. I tried to look around for an answer, but my gaze was affixed to the moon and I felt as though it was staring into my very soul. It was judging me, and I couldn't do anything about it. The person in my head had gone silent and didn't seem to be there.

The world around me seemed different, as though someone had tried to recreate it but missed out an important detail. And the almost everything looked slightly distorted. The only living thing seemed to be me and the moon. And the disturbing yet serene presence all around me.

The entire thing barely lasted a minute, but it seemed a lot longer.

When it was over, I floated backwards and darkness overcame me.

**Normal POV**

Hiccup awoke on a cold hard surface, and rolled over to where Toothless usually lay next to him. But his hand came into contact with more rock. He sat up mystified as to where he was, and was greeted by a stunning view of the sun rising. Hiccup went to stand up, but tripped over almost immediately. He looked down to see what had caused such a thing, and when he saw what had happened, tears rolled down his cheek as he recalled the events of the night before. He looked up into the sky and looked intently at the faint outline of the moon, which seemed to be laughing at him. Hiccup hopped down from the rock and stumbled onto the forest floor. He had no idea where he was. He thought of trying to find his way back, but decided not to for obvious reasons. Although he didn't want to be a burden, he called for Toothless as loud as he could with a morning voice.

Toothless had woken up early in the morning just to find out what had happened to Hiccup, so he got quite a shock to see that he wasn't there. He frantically searched for Hiccup knowing he couldn't have got far with only one foot. Toothless would have given up, thinking that the body had been dragged away by scavengers, if it had not been for the weak cry from the forest. Renassa swooped down and dropped Toothless off at a deserted clearing where the only sign of life was the young boy in the centre.

Hiccup was overjoyed to see a large black mass heading toward him with a glint of delight in his hypnotic green eyes, and crawled forward desperately. He was tackled to the ground and wrapped in comforting warmth and bombarded with questions.

"Hiccup, are you ok? What happened overnight? Why are you down here in the forest? What did-?" Toothless paused to catch his breath before rolling Hiccup over onto his back and inspecting his wounds. "Hiccup, your foot is-

"Gone, I know." He grumbled lightly.

"No it's not just that, it's mostly healed." It was true, where there had once been a bloodied stump there now was a stump with the skin perfectly healed over. "And your scars are..."

"Gone?" Hiccup said hopefully.

"Almost. They're faded." Toothless gently pawed the pale pink lines and pulled the smaller one into an everlasting hug, which Hiccup lovingly returned. It wasn't just an embrace of happiness, it was an act of love.

Pragma.

Philia.

Ludus.

Agape.

All of those were expressed in that moment of almost-perfectness.

Renassa struggled to carry the two of them, but managed to get them safely back inside the Haven. This time, all the Dragons were joyful to see here only trusted human safe from the outside world, even though the majority of them were unaware of what had really happened. They greeted Hiccup as though he wasn't missing a foot, because Dragons know that if a human loses a leg or an arm, it's like a Dragon losing a wing. They all knew how hard it was for Hiccup so they told each other not to crowd around him.

With the help of Toothless, Hiccup managed to crawl into their small cave and lie down. He was examined by all the healers but none of them could explain how Hiccup had survived through the night without any treatment. Every Changewing had turned a deep violet from astonishment, but those present at the event the night before were torn between laughing at the healers and crying at how Hiccup had the Moon Effect. And despite having woken up less than an hour ago, Hiccup laid his tired head next to Toothless's and fell into a dreamless sleep.

**A/N: The dragon1010- There is no Green Death in this story, the Dragon killer plays that role for reasons I can't explain without ruining the story.**

**Pragma- Love which endures**

**Philia- Shared experience**

**Ludus- Flirting and playful affection**

**Agape- Love of Humanity**


	13. Chapter 13

It was midnight by the time Hiccup had woken up, and most of the other Dragons were asleep. Only a few Terrible Terrors were awake, who were silently dodging through the maze of slumbering reptiles with ease while shooting small bursts of fire at each other. Hiccup succumbed to his curiosity and crawled out of Toothless's embrace and down onto the ground, nearly landing on Fenorir's head. The group of nocturnal Terrors looked at Hiccup with confusion, but carried on messing around.

During the day, the cavern was filled with natural light from the entrance and lit up by the random bursts of fire from Dragons who felt the need to express their anger. But at night, the entire Inner Haven was almost pitch black; you could barely make out the silhouettes. The only light that wasn't from the Terror's fire was the light emitted from the pair of emerald eyes that glowed softly in the darkness.

"Hi Hiccup." Toothless spoke softly.

"Oh, hi! Err... did I wake you up?" Hiccup sat down at the water's edge trying to shake off the fear he had originally felt at the strange sight of floating eyes.

"No, I tend to wake up at night a lot, Night Furies are naturally nocturnal." This surprised Hiccup, as he had only ever seen Toothless awake during the day. "But we can stay awake at any time. How do you feel?"

"I still feel a bit shaky, but the pain is gone."

"Interesting." Toothless sat down next to the newly healed boy and stared into the still water. "I miss flying."

Not long after those words were spoken, they were both soaring over the midnight forest. Without his left foot to control the fake tail fin, Hiccup had to sit awkwardly to cross his good leg over and control it with his right foot, and despite the uncomfortable position, Hiccup loved every second. The cool night wind ghosted over Toothless's elegant black scales, the landscape lay out before them like a perfect map, and the clouds stood still just like how time did in that moment. It was a cold night, but Toothless's body radiated enough heat to keep Hiccup warm. They soared through the open sky, past the cloud formations and over the foggy valley. It was spectacular, just the two of them alone, dancing in the moonlight. No words were needed to express their love for each other, Hiccup had given Toothless the ability to fly again, and Toothless had given Hiccup a reason to stay away from Valhalla.

"Hiccup, what are we going to do about your foot? You can't just hop everywhere."

He huffed in irritation and replied. "I think Gobber might be able to help."

"But you can't go back to Berk; I have no doubt that the Dragon killer has already convinced the entire village to kill you on sight."

"Toothless, if we go under the cover of night we can reach Gobber and explain the whole situation to him. He wouldn't harm me." But as they flew in the direction of Berk, they were both nervous about the whole situation, no matter how much they denied it. The memory of what had happened last time Hiccup had spoken to Gobber was very recent.

As they glided silently over the small village, Toothless used his incredible eyesight and sense of hearing to get an idea of what was happening on Berk. He whispered the words to Hiccup as he heard what the sentries were saying.

"I can't believe Bertha punched that guy! It was awesome."

"I wish I could've seen it."

"I wish it was the runt that she punched."

"Ha! It would probably kill him!" The rest was irrelevant nonsense of no interest. The two guards on patrol walked past an iron figure which stood like a statue. An iron statue. An iron statue with a bloodied knife strapped to its side. According to Toothless's nose, it was Hiccup's blood, but he didn't need to be told that. Hiccup easily recognised the knife that had been driven into his back many times. The statue was quite clearly the Dragon killer, he was wearing the silver armour again and was standing so still that he could have been sleeping. The forges were unguarded but a light was burning inside, which meant that someone was still working at this late hour. Even Hiccup could hear the voice singing a song out of tune loud enough to stir some of the lighter sleepers in the village.

They landed soundlessly in the shadows and spoke in a hushed tone.

"Hiccup if anything happens, don't hesitate to call for me."

"I know. Is there anything else you want to say?"

"Yes, there is something you should always remember in these situations."

"Which is..?" Toothless's face turned into an evil smirk with a hint of excitement.

"The darkness is your friend."

Since Toothless was far too bulky to fit into the forges without causing a lot of noise, Hiccup was left with only one option. He crawled in the shadows where only a Night Fury could see him towards the large figure of Gobber, who was bending a sword back into shape. This moment was crucial, Hiccup needed to introduce himself without startling Gobber, who had a tendency to attack things that scare him, and make sure that Gobber wasn't going to kill him. Fortunately, luck was on Hiccup's side for now.

"I suppose you've come for a new foot." Gobber didn't turn to face him, he just carried on working as if he wasn't talking to someone hiding in the dark.

"Y-y-yes, yes I have." Hiccup stayed where he was, obscured in his hiding place.

There were a few moments of tension until Gobber finally turned away from whatever he was working on.

"Well then, you came to the right place. Sit your bum over there." He gestured to his own stool, and Hiccup climbed awkwardly onto it.

"So you're not going to kill me?" Hiccup mumbled.

"What? No, of course not. You can bring your dragon in here as well." Gobber pointed in the direction of the window. "He's more likely to be discovered out there than he is in here." Toothless growled accusingly before padding in, hoping that Hiccup was right to trust this smelly human. "A Night Fury? I'm proud of you Hiccup.

"You were right to come here at night and not waltz in during broad daylight. That lunatic has convinced the village that you're a traitor, and now everyone except me, your father, Gothi and Fishlegs is after your blood."

"Did you tell Dad about you-know-what?"

"No not yet, I haven't had a chance. I'm locked up here working for the Dragon killer and your father hasn't come out of his home since your punishment."

"What do you mean by "working for the Dragon killer"?"

"I'm saying that even though Stoick is the Chief and Snotlout the adopted heir, he still runs Berk as if it belongs to him. Everyone is either too scared of him or respect him too much to do anything about it."

Gobber had finished the measurements and went over to Toothless's side to inspect the stirrup. Toothless hissed at him threateningly, but not even a Dragon half the size of a mountain could scare Gobber, who just tinkered with the stirrup, figuring out what everything did, which part connected to what and where it was all connected, all while completely ignoring the other two. He also ignored the way Hiccup spoke to Toothless, which was in Dragonese. And after less than a minute, he had come to a conclusion.

"It has to be changed. You won't be able to control the tail fin with your fake foot."

"But it took ages to design that mechanism!"

"Not the entire thing you numpty, just the stirrup."

"Ok, when will it be done?"

"The leg will be done by this evening, but the stirrup will take longer. Come back after dark, you need to go now, the sun is going to rise soon and the forges will be filled with idiots wanting weapons fixed."

About halfway to the Haven, the sun fully rose and forced them to take cover in the clouds until they reached the thick fog that currently lay over the Outer Haven.

In the cavern, Dragons were going crazy trying to figure out where their leader had gone, and were intolerantly questioning the Terrible Terrors that had stayed awake throughout the night.

In the entrance tunnel, Hiccup and Toothless watched the disorder below, patiently waiting for someone to notice them, which eventually happened. A pink Typhoomerang shrieked in delight and swooped over to their perch, followed by a stream of Dragons. Questions were literally yelled at them but Toothless calmly swooped down into his cave and shooed the crowd away. And when that didn't work, he just screamed at them, much to Hiccup's ear's displeasure. But it worked, and the pair settled down to sleep the day away. But Hiccup had other things on his mind.

"Toothless?"

"Yes?" They both sat up to face each other.

"Do you want to spend the day in Khynechi's Glen?" Hiccup asked hopefully.

"The Monstrous Nightmares won't be happy about that."

"No, I mean without anyone else. Just us."

"But what if we're discovered by Vikings?"

"I'm the only human that has been there in at least fifteen years, there aren't even any other Dragons and I highly doubt that anyone will discover it on the day that we are there."

Toothless looked thoughtful, he didn't really want to spend the day in a stuffy cave with hundreds of Dragons screaming at one another from opposite ends of the cavern. The idea of relaxing on soft earth next to a lake filled with delicious fish and with Hiccup by his side was very tempting. Mmmm... Hiccup... There would be no one around to see and question their actions, no healer trying to tell what not to do without insulting its leader and no worry of Hiccup not returning from the village.

It sounded perfect.

He put Renassa in charge and announced that he was leaving for the day, and also warned them not to try and follow him as it was highly disrespectful.

And just like that, the Night Fury and his rider set off on their private day out.

They landed with ease in Khynechi's Glen without any problems and settled down under a tree. Toothless helped Hiccup settle comfortably on the ground and wrapped his tail around him.

They both lay there in the shade, enjoying the tranquil environment. No words were spoken and little movements were made, the only ones being their breathing and Hiccup snuggling closer to Toothless. And eventually, they both fell asleep.

When they awoke, it was already mid afternoon and the water was very enticing. Hiccup crawled forward, followed by a thirsty Dragon, and greedily drank the fresh water. Hiccup, noticing how cool the water was and how hot he was, stripped off his clothes and dived into the deep part. Toothless sat up and stared at where Hiccup had surfaced, wondering what in the name of Thor the young boy was doing.

"Come on in Toothless!" He playfully tugged at the reluctant Dragon's front leg. "Why are you staring at me like that?" Toothless was gawking at Hiccup with spellbinding eyes as if he was somewhat confused. And while he was distracted by what was hidden by the ripples in the water, Hiccup successfully pulled Toothless into the lake.

He thrashed about, remembering he couldn't swim before he finally realised that even though Hiccup had to swim to stay afloat, Toothless had no problem standing up in the deepest part of the water. He huffed in slight annoyance and playfully splashed Hiccup with water, who was laughing at how one of the most powerful Dragons in the Archipelago was unable to swim. Hiccup sprayed water back at him, and soon they were having a massive water fight. The fish fled to the other side of the lake to get away from the disturbance, and the once mostly still lake was covered in massive water ripples. It ended almost as quickly as it began, and Toothless stood victorious with Hiccup tucked inside his wings where he could no longer splash any water.

They picked fresh fruit from the trees and caught the finest fish, served with some herbs that grew in the glen. The two of them feasted together while watching the sun slowly sink out of view, and lay side by side and admired the star constellations that could be seen. Toothless pointed out some of the famous Dragon constellations which included a Smothering Smokebreath shrouded in space gas instead of smoke, a legendary Stormcutter that was born with six wings instead of four, and a mythical Bewilderbeast the colour of the setting sun.

They would have stayed like that if it wasn't for the mission they had been set. So they soon found themselves back in the forges admiring the new metal leg Hiccup had been given (1). Gobber had shown them the beginnings of the new stirrup.

Then it was back to Khynechi's Glen. Hiccup was going to learn how to walk when he actually had the energy, but for now, he settled down beside Toothless and, under the canopy of stars and in the warmth of the Dragon who he loved, Hiccup fell into a peaceful slumber filled with dreams of six-winged Dragons , fish the colour of the sunset and of course, Toothless.

And for the first time in Hiccup's life, the day had been perfect.

**A/N: No updates for at least a week, sorry.**

**Does anyone want a lemon? Because I will only put one in the story if people want it.**

**(1)I don't know how to describe what Hiccup's metal leg looks like, besides, I'm sure we all remember how it looks from the first HTTYD movie.**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Sorry for the wait, I hope you enjoy this extra long chapter.**

Hiccup woke up with on the soft earth, which was a nice change. Charred rock wasn't that comfortable. He listened to Toothless's relaxed breathing for a few minutes before deciding that he shouldn't try to wake him, so he tried to go back to sleep. But the nagging pain of hunger forced him to drag himself away from Toothless's warm embrace and towards the leftovers of the feast from the night before. It wasn't long before he had company, but it wasn't Toothless. It was the Terrible Terrors who stayed in Berk as spies for the Vikings, and according to Iggy's knowledge they rarely left Berk unless they were delivering important news or there was an emergency. The only species of Dragon a Viking could tolerate was a Terrible Terror, meaning that the population of Terrors was ridiculously high without them being constantly hunted by Vikings.

"Are you Hiccup the Dragon Whisperer?" The leader ignored Hiccup's lack of clothing and adopted a tone of authority.

"Yes, aren't you supposed to be in Berk?"

"Obviously, but we overheard the big silver metal man organising a man hunt for you, and some suggested to search the other side of the island before the nearby forest."

This was bad. _Really_ bad. If they discovered Khynechi's Glen, it would no longer be safe and they would find plenty of evidence suggesting a human and a Night Fury interacting in a friendly way.

"Uhh... Ok... How long have we got?" Dread filled his voice as he realised the gravity of the situation.

"At least half a day, most of the lazy bastards are still asleep." That should give Hiccup enough time to learn how to walk on his new foot and get used to the new stirrup. He woke Toothless up and explained the situation to him, and let's just say that Toothless's reaction really did live up to the name Night Fury, there was plenty of fury to blast the entire glen away.

They planned out a strategy and put it into action, first they had to teach Hiccup how to walk on his new foot without falling over every five seconds. It was easier said than done.

"You can't just give up! If you want to succeed you have to keep trying. Besides, you've only been at it for ten minutes." The Terrors had stayed and had joined Toothless making sure that everything went according to plan. Hiccup was currently lying flat on his face while muttering curses into the earth. Toothless pulled him back up onto to his feet/foot and prosthetic and heard the last of the curses spoken in Norse before he switched back to Dragonese.

"-that bastard's helmet is on too tight- thanks Toothless." The Terrors, who understood both languages, sniggered at whispered to each other various other insults about the Dragon killer. Toothless ignored them and carried on helping to improve Hiccup's walking, and one long and frustrating hour later their hard work paid off.

Hiccup had walked the entire length of the glen and was still on his feet, and was still able to walk further and faster. It wasn't enough to run away from a pack of Vikings craving blood, but it was enough to make sure that Hiccup could find a good hiding place in the event that he got separated from his Dragon partner. And now it was on to the next step.

Getting used to flying. But to do this, they actually needed the new stirrup. A purple Terrible Terror was sent to the forges to fetch it with a note tied to her foot, and they all sat patiently waiting for her to come back. It took quite a long time to sneak unnoticed through Berk, and as a result, Hiccup was waiting for a full hour. And when it did arrive, he was pleased with Gobber's astounding skills. The metal foot fitted perfectly into the contraption and didn't change the controls in any way. Now they just needed Hiccup to get used to using his new stirrup. This was undoubtedly a lot easier than the first step, it was less tiring, Hiccup already knew all the controls and they were both used to flying together. It barely took ten minutes, and they were soon expertly flying through the obstacle course Mother Nature had built in the forest.

It was then they had to clear away all the evidence of them being there. Hiccup buried his few possessions out of sight and the Terrors ate the remaining food. There were some berry stains which were seemingly impossible to get rid of, so Toothless had no choice but to burn the ground and make it look as though an angry Monstrous Nightmare had passed through. But the Dragon killer was an excellent tracker, and there was a chance that he would still find evidence, also, none of them wanted the villagers to discover Khynechi's Glen, so they devised a plan to lead them away in the opposite direction. Unfortunately, it was a dangerous plan that relied on taking the Vikings by surprise and hoping that they hadn't brought a Ballista or something equally as deadly to Dragons.

It was nearly midday and everything was finished. The Terrors had flown back to Berk, and Hiccup and Toothless were concealed in the canopy of a tree, where they could see everything at a safe distance.

As the first Viking appeared on the horizon, Toothless leaped gracefully from the tree and glided across the forest. Bertha spotted them and screamed at the others, which brought them out of hiding. It seemed half the village was hunting them, but as the rest were seen, it was clear that it was most of the villagers, along with the Dragon killer, who now had to fight left handed because the sword-holder contraption Gobber had built for him that helped him hold a sword in his right hand/stump had "broke". The killer wasn't aware that Gobber had deliberately designed it so that it broke in the first sword fight.

The villagers were armed with simple swords, axes, bows and knives but the killer was armed with equipment that was effective against Dragons, such as a bow with solid iron arrows, reinforced netting, throwing knives and the red knife, which was strapped proudly to his breast plate. It was still almost unrecognisable through the stains of Hiccup's blood, which were dry and cracked from being in the sun.

They swooped low over the forest, deliberately almost within shooting distance of the archers and flew over them and towards Berk, leading the hunters away from Khynechi's Glen. Everyone was chasing them, except for one.

One very devious person.

One who was craving revenge.

The Dragon killer stayed where he was, sensing the trickery, and then set off on his own journey.

Towards Khynechi's Glen.

Back with Toothless and Hiccup, things were starting to look dire. Out of nowhere, six Vikings had appeared dragging a ballista behind them. Ballista's were fatal for Dragons, as they were capable of piercing the toughest hide. And some tedious people dipped them in poison that caused unbelievable amounts of pain, but this particular ballista shot nets instead of spears because the Dragon killer ordered them to bring the Night Fury and the "slave boy" to him alive.

If it was midnight, Toothless would have had the great advantage of blending in with the dark night sky, but in the broad daylight he couldn't hide easily. So the people of Berk had clear shots throughout the chase, and it was only the incredible speed of a Night Fury that kept them airborne. A weighted net flew dangerously close and tiny arrows seemed to chase them relentlessly, each one falling short and unable to keep up with the fastest Dragon known to Vikings.

Toothless had almost reached Berk, where he could fly up into the safety of the clouds, but at that moment, disaster struck.

The ballista finally found its mark, the net wrapped around them both and sent them plummeting to the ground. The force of the fall cracked a tree in half and ploughed a trench in the dirt. They had both heard themselves screaming as they went down, and were silenced as they met the earth. The net had trapped Hiccup on Toothless's back where they both struggled relentlessly craving freedom. The only luck that Fate had granted them was that since they were so far ahead, it would take a number of minutes for the villagers to arrive.

"Toothless, I'm so sorry." Hiccup sobbed as he thought that no help was coming. But there was no answer. "Toothless?"

"Hiccup... look at that tree..." Toothless was lying very still.

"We are surrounded by trees, you might need to be a bit more specific." Hiccup didn't try to cover up his confusion.

"The one with Iggy hiding in it."

Balancing on the thick branches of an aging Oak Tree was Iggy. He looked like he was just waking up, and slowly plodded over to them ungracefully.

"I'm guessing you want help getting out of the net?"

Hiccup looked at him sarcastically, and that was all Iggy needed, he burned away the ropes with short bursts of fire until only a few ashes remained on the ground, and as soon as Toothless's wings were free, his instincts led him to the sky, where he opened his wings majestically and hovered above the raging waves below that crashed against the weathered rocks of Berk.

And as they looked behind them, they saw the Vikings swamp the area where they had just lay.

"Wow, a few more seconds and we would've been caught." Hiccup was breathless from the experience.

"Yes, but where is the Dragon killer?" The searched the fuming crowd for any signs of silver or black armour shaped like a Monstrous Nightmare, but they saw none. "Should we check Khynechi's Glen?"

"We probably should."

So they took the long way, which meant taking cover in the clouds and constantly on the lookout for any other humans who weren't Gobber.

Toothless landed silently in the same tree he had hidden in before the chase, and gazed into the Glen.

The Dragon killer was standing in the centre staring at his surroundings, which made it very tempting to send a fireball at the easy target. So far he hadn't discovered anything yet, but it was clear that he wasn't going to leave any time soon. Toothless leaned in closer, and accidently snapped a twig.

A very tiny twig.

And knowing that twigs don't snap themselves, the killer reacted instantly. As fast as a Skrill's lightning, he sent an iron arrow hurtling their way. It missed Hiccup's shoulder by barely an inch, and it would have found its target if the killer had both his hands and not one hand and a metal hook. As the killer turned around, he spotted the pair in the tree and smiled to himself. He grabbed a weighted rope and expertly sent it hurtling in the direction of Toothless's wings, but Toothless was a Night Fury, and he had been preparing for something to go wrong. He reacted even faster than the killer; he leaped into the air majestically and circled the glen. Toothless growled a warning and sent a blue fireball hurtling towards the metal monster, but the killer was prepared. He dodged and chose his weapons- the throwing knives. The first one cut Hiccup's left cheek, but didn't do any severe damage. The second was aimed at Toothless, but was batted aside as if it were an annoying insect.

There were four knives left, and the Dragon killer had figured out that Hiccup was the best target to aim for, and began aiming all his weapons at the weaker target. Most of them missed because of Toothless's excellent agility, but two more made small gashes on Hiccup's arms.

The killer pulled out his next weapon, the bow. His quiver was filled with lethal iron arrows, and this time, he may not miss.

The first one hit Toothless's paw, but did not affect his flying in any way. It was becoming increasingly more obvious that Toothless would have to start attacking and not just defending. But before they could formulate a plan of attack, an arrow pierced Toothless's right wing and brought him crashing down to the ground again. Hiccup immediately went to help him, but Toothless was already leaping into battle.

His sharp teeth and razor talons tore through the silver armour, which crumpled like paper under the force of a Dragon's rage, and the killer suddenly realized that he wasn't wearing his armour suitable for battling Dragons in close combat, and suffered as a result of his own mistake. Toothless ripped the weapons away from the psycho and briefly turned to shout at Hiccup to do something. But in that one moment where his full attention wasn't on the fight, he was winded by an inhuman punch to jaw. Hiccup scrabbled around in the dirt for something to defend himself with, but was met with nothing. He rushed forward to where the killer's weapons had been thrown to knowing there would be something there, but the arrows had all been bent by Toothless's strength, and wouldn't be any use anyway because the bow was in no condition to be shooting heavy arrows. The net had a massive rip and the sword was far too heavy for someone like Hiccup to be lifting. The throwing knives were lost in the forest from where they had already been sent spinning through the air. That only left one option.

The knife that was stained with the pain of Hiccup's misery. Just looking at it forced the memories back, what would happen if Hiccup touched it? He knew it was considered stupid to be a Viking and also be scared of a small blade, but there was good reasoning behind the fear. Every scar tingled with the unforgotten pain, and every emotion resurfaced, but he forced himself to walk towards where it lay and reached out a shaking hand. He forced himself to pick it up but his hand wouldn't obey, so he forced his arm downwards and his hand came into contact with the cruel metal, but it was never going to be that easy. Hiccup remained still for a few moments before screaming and descending into the parts of his mind that he had locked away for so many years.

_Eight years ago- Freya's Feast_

_I looked around nervously at the people who surrounded me, they were much taller and had muscles bigger than me. They were shouting and laughing loudly at some dirty jokes I didn't really want to hear._

"_Hey you! Bring over that barrel of mead."It was someone from a visiting tribe who was already heavily drunk. I didn't want to anger someone who could crush me with his little finger so I rolled a full-size mead barrel towards them, which proved to be very difficult when I had to roll it up the basement stairs, and I wouldn't have managed if it weren't for Gobber._

_He picked up the barrel with one hand and kindly placed it at the top of the stairs so I wouldn't spend the entire evening wasting my strength._

_It was late at night, but all the other village children were still awake and partying in their own little corner of the hall, and stealing drinks from the buffet table. I knew better than to try and join them, especially when Snotlout was there, I still remembered the last time I tried to blend in with them._

_Instead, I had found a staircase hidden a wall of barrels that lead up to the beams that held the ceiling up. There was never anyone else up there, and I could look down from the beams and see everything without the fear of anyone seeing me, I was constantly shrouded in the darkness that hung over the area. I started heading towards the stairs but I was halted in my tracks as I passed the two thrones._

_Sitting on the thrones of the two interacting tribes was my father and the leader of the other tribe. I never did learn his name; I was always too scared to ask._

"_So where is this son of yours Stoick? I heard he is a boy with beefy arms who's been predicted by the Elder to live a glorious life filled with great achievements and many victories."_

_My life was going to be filled with glory and victory? That was the best news I had heard in a long time! I proudly stepped forward and puffed out my chest in an effort to make myself look less skinny._

"_Who's this? He looks like a talking fishbone!" My father's happy expression was gone, and had been replaced by deep melancholy. Why was he sad? Had I done something wrong?_

"_I err... don't know who this is. My son is over there with the other children, his name is Snotlout." My father was denying the truth, why would he do that?_

"_Dad? Snotlout isn't your son, is he?" I jumped up the steps and tugged on his tunic desperately. But he only pushed me away. People started to notice and began laughing at me, and this soon attracted the attention of the boy himself._

_Snotlout strode over with confidence and casually kicked me in the stomach. If I had looked up at that moment, I'm sure I would have seen my father wince at the violent action, but I had nothing to prove it._

_Snotlout laughed and shoved me aside so he could stand by __**my**__ father._

"_Don't worry about the shrimp, he's never right. I'm the true heir of tribe." He boasted proudly._

"_So you're the one I've heard so much about!" And just like that, everyone believed him. They had cast me aside because I wasn't good enough. "How's your sword fighting?"_

"_It's great, I'm the best among the children, but I don't consider myself as low as them all."_

"_As you shouldn't! You're one of the most important people in the village, you should consider yourself a young adult."_

_I crawled away towards the staircase where I had originally been going to, but before I did, I heard Snotlout making one of his famed announcements._

"_Listen up Hooligans! Hiccup has just dishonoured the proud name of our tribe and ruined our reputation of honesty! I think that you'll all agree with me when I say that he deserves a punishment!" There were roars of approval not just from our tribe, but from the other as well. "Any suggestions?"_

"_Public flogging!"_

"_Starvation!"_

"_Isolation!"_

"_Death by yak!"_

"_Feed him to the Dragons of Raven Point!"_

_Many more suggestions were shouted out, but there was one that caught Snotlout's interest. Even at a young age he had a disturbing and bloodthirsty personality._

"_Give him the red hot knife treatment!"_

_Snotlout looked thoughtful, he knew what would happen if he chose that one, and he liked the idea of it. He silenced the crowd and announced his decision. I dashed up the stairs as quickly as I could, but they were quicker and they grabbed me from behind. It was truly terrifying, but the worst part was knowing that my own father, the one who used to tell me that he would always protect me stood by and watched them drag me away. But of course, those days were over. They had been over ever since he had disowned me just so he could say that his son was destined for greatness without any doubt. I had always wondered if he regretted it, or if he thought that the life changing decision was still a good choice._

_They took me to a darkened room, and everybody except for four men I didn't recognise moved out of the room and back to the party._

_The only light came from a fire, and not the sort of fire that burned merrily in your house and warmed your heart, it was the kind used to heat metal to extreme temperatures. And lying on the burning coals was a knife. It had a slightly curved edge and was one of the sharpest I had ever seen. I shivered at the sight, remembering what they had said earlier just minutes before._

_My screams were drowned out by the noise of the party, and everyone had already forgotten about me, except for two people. One of them was my father, and I could imagine why you might think the other would be Gobber, but he wasn't the second. He had drunk too much and slept through the unfair trial and most of the night. It wasn't Fishlegs either, for he rarely attended loud parties and hadn't been present at the celebration. The other person was the chief of the other tribe. He was wondering why everyone had sentenced an innocent boy to torture without hesitation, and who the boy really was. He knew I had to be significant in some way, he had seen the look on Stoick's face as his son done the unforgivable. But he drowned his questions in alcohol, and soon forgot me when he woke up with that terrible hangover._

_The four men were strangers to me, one of them wore a black mask, and he was the one who inflicted the pain. The other three hid in the shadows, advising the masked man on what to do. One of them clearly enjoyed my suffering; another only explained the best methods and sounded like he was only doing it for the money. Then there was the third. They were the reason why I escaped with only two scars that night, and had been present at all the "events" so far in my life. They seemed to pity me, and I could never quite figure out whether they were on my side or not. I've always felt as though I know them in person, and not just as a torturer._

_And that was how I celebrated Freya's Feast. Screaming in a dark dungeon while praying for someone to rescue me. However, something good did come out of it._

_As I was stumbling blindly through the dense forest, after nearly an hour of agonising walking, I found myself standing in a beautiful glen with crystal-like water, a stunning view of the stars above and towering Oak trees to hide it. I named it after the mighty Phoenix Khynechi, who gave hope to those who had little to live for; she gave them a reason to live in the real world and not descend into an endless slumber and decide to go to Valhalla early. She gave me a reason to live. Khynechi stopped Fate from doing any more harm. When I was born, I remember the Elder before Gothi saying that I was doomed to waste away in the darkness of hatred. She said that Fate would do anything to make sure that I die in the everlasting loneliness of sadness, and that I would have to have the blessing of the celestial Phoenix if I wanted to defy Fate._

_I had her blessing._

_Khynechi gave me Toothless._

_My reason to stay in this world was my love for the great black beast who seeks redemption from the Gods, for what, I don't know, but I'll accept it whatever it is._

Back in the real world, Hiccup woke up in the ruined paradise. He had only been unconscious for a few moments, but he knew that you could think a thousand thoughts in mere seconds. The bloody knife was still in his hand, and still felt as evil as the day it first cut into his back. It was lighter than he imagined it would be, and hadn't gone blunt even after eight years. It no longer felt as painful to hold it, and even gave Hiccup a thirst for blood.

The Dragon killer's blood.

The man himself was still battling with Toothless, it seemed impossible to figure out who was winning. Hiccup was the only human who was armed, which gave him an advantage, and a knife was also the only weapon he knew how to use properly.

He rushed forward and joined the fight, with the ferocity of Monstrous Nightmare, and the past as his weapon, the world itself seemed to become his ally.

Hiccup had little strength, but his Dragon blood provided something better. He could feel it flowing through his veins, controlling his arms for him, bringing the knife down upon the enemy ruthlessly, until Toothless had to physically prise him off of the killer. Toothless pinned the killer to the ground, who was covered in cuts on almost every part if his body.

Hiccup was thrown aside, but immediately got up again. He stalked towards the helpless man who had once been the greatest warrior in the Archipelago, and ordered Toothless to turn him onto his front. Hiccup ripped away the shirt, revealing a muscular back that looked pale in the sunlight. Toothless saw an exposed and fleshy back, but Hiccup saw a canvas.

Hiccup was an artist at heart, but rarely painted because of the lack of canvases to paint on, but now that he had found one, he decided to practise. The only unfortunate thing was that he only had red paint. But why would he want any other colour?

Toothless, heat up the knife." His voice was stern and commanding, and almost forced Toothless to obey. Which he did, blowing a steady blue flame over the blade.

Hiccup raised the knife over his head, and cut twenty slices into the Dragon killer's back. It was done slower than it should have, and caused the most powerful man in the lands and seas to scream in pure agony.

**A/N: I thoroughly enjoyed writing the last few paragraphs.**

**The dragon1010- I think I just unintentionally answered your question.**

**Also, it has been decided.**

**Err...**

**Umm...**

**I honestly didn't expect so many answers. But I got what I needed, so I will put a lemon in this story. But not yet, I can't just randomly upload a chapter that's an unexplained lemon, you'll all have to wait until I can find the right moment so that it will fit in the story.**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: The reason I didn't go into detail about what Hiccup did to the Dragon killer is because Hiccup wouldn't even dream of doing that to someone.**

**Well, he might. But if I had done a big paragraph on the procedure, describing every little drop of blood and the complete anatomy of the pain the killer felt during it, it would have made Hiccup seem too malicious. He is a kind boy but capable of doing horrific things when his anger controls his Dragon instincts.**

**Also, I'm sorry to say this, but updates may not happen as often now. And by that I mean you won't get a new chapter every four-or-so days. This is partially because they are getting longer, and the longer the chapter the longer you have to wait. Hopefully it won't be much longer though. Maybe one or two or three days longer, or in this case, a week longer.**

Hiccup was emotionless throughout the journey home. He still had blood on him and was clutching the not-so-red knife so tightly that his knuckles were turning white. Although he was blank on the outside, his mind was at war with itself. A hundred different voices whispered in his ear, each trying to convince him what he had done was either right or wrong.

"_He deserved it."_

"_You shouldn't have done that in front of Toothless!"_

"_He would've done worse to you if you hadn't had been rescued that particular night."_

"_Toothless will understand."_

"_You need to control your anger!"_

"_What you did was far too evil."_

"_You could blame it on the moon."_

"_Who is saying you have to tell the other Dragons?"_

"_I am! The Dragons need to know they can trust you. Sort of."_

"_You should do the same thing to Snotlout. Then blame it on the moon."_

It continued even when Toothless arrived in the cavern, and when they settled down to sleep their worries away. But Toothless was smart enough to notice the terrified look in Hiccup's eyes, and pulled him closer and wrapped his wings around them.

"Hiccup, ignore the voices in your head. It's the moon trying to convince you what's right and what's wrong."

"It's getting worse Toothless. I can't keep them out any more."

"I know." He nuzzled the young boy's head affectionately. "It means the disease is getting worse."

No more was said that night. They were both exhausted and had troubled dreams about the day's events. Hiccup's dreams were filled with more questions.

Why was Iggy sleeping in a tree?

How did the Terrible Terror spies know they were in Khynechi's Glen?

Was the Moon Effect a blood disease?

What made Hiccup think that Toothless was looking for redemption?

Of course, he forgot the questions within the first ten minutes of waking up, because that's what dreams do. He examined his surroundings and wondered how either of them got to sleep in such a noisy place, although it was now much calmer at night, with the only noises being the heavy snoring of sleeping Dragons.

He was covered in bruises from the crash landing, and his fists hurt from where he had been using them to viciously punch the Dragon killer. But exhaustion overtook him again.

"_Child... wake up."_

It was midnight, and Toothless was still dozing. So Hiccup scrambled to the edge of the lake as quickly and quietly as he could, and washed the blood off his hands.

"_Child? Can you hear me?"_

Hiccup would pay no heed to it, hoping it would go away. But it was strangely persistent.

"_You cannot ignore me forever. Come to the beach."_

He knew it was right; the moon doesn't give up without a fight. So he did what he was told and climbed out of the cavern, with much difficulty, and down to the beach. He had a nice view of the crescent moon, it glimmered mischievously and calmed the waves to set the mood.

"_Good. Now sit down upon the rock hanging over the sea."_

He didn't understand why it had to be that one, there were much nicer rocks that sat safely away from the sea, not clinging dangerously to a cliff.

"_The Night Fury has already told you about your condition?"_

"Umm... Yes." It felt very strange to be talking aloud to a voice in your head.

"_Excellent. That saves me the trouble of telling you won't have your eyesight much longer."_

It clearly didn't bother with manners. Why should it? Hiccup was just another victim to the moon.

"Thanks." Hiccup replied sarcastically. "Is there anything else you wanted to tell me?"

"_Yes, there is a fifty percent chance that the human part of you will reject the blessing and keep you alive."_

"What? Blessing? How is this in any way a blessing?"

"_Only the dead know the answer to that. It is a secret that is hidden from the world of the living and the gods themselves. A spell cast by a higher power that knows the true meaning of __**freedom**__."_

"Err... Hiccup?"

"_Farewell, my child."_

"Who are you talking to?"

Hiccup turned around to face whoever had interrupted the conversation, and found himself staring at Renassa. She seemed exhausted, and had worry written all over her face. "Sorry, it's just..." She trailed off and stared awkwardly at the ground, unsure of what to say.

"I'm... I'm sorry Renassa. I haven't been here for you, and I understand that the pressure of often being put in charge of a swarm of loud and partially disobedient Dragons doesn't help with the stress of Stormfly's death." Hiccup regretted the last part as soon as he said it, but she showed no signs of being upset about him mentioning it.

"Don't worry about it Hiccup, Dragons often lose their children in the war against Vikings. We are forced to toughen up and continue the long journey that we call life. Besides, I know that you need some time with Toothless to help you recover after what happened, but I'm happy knowing that you're content."

They exchanged smiles as if they had not seen each other in years. "Come on, let's get you properly cleaned up."

They travelled to a nearby lake and swam in the shallow region. Renassa made Hiccup undress and dunked him under the water to wash away the first layer of dirt, then used the usual method of cleaning him with her tongue to wipe away the stickier blood, which was quite brave considering it was... well... it was blood. But she fearlessly ignored the coppery taste and continued the strange procedure. The moon was silent during it, which Hiccup was highly grateful for.

It was only then that it occurred to Hiccup why Renassa treated him like this. She had lost her daughter, and missed Stormfly more than she would admit. Hiccup had often heard of Dragons and other animals adopting abandoned hatchlings and juveniles as their own, and Renassa's actions did seem to radiate family affection. Maybe she had adopted Hiccup as a way of helping herself recover from the shock of her daughter's sudden death on the battlefield. Not that Hiccup was angry or disturbed at this news. He had been abandoned by his family and now he had found another who would never abandon him. Fenorir was sort of like an uncle to him, Renassa was obviously the mother. Lan was that sister who always teased you playfully and Iggy, despite him being a young Dragon, was like the wise grandfather. But Toothless was slightly different from the others. Toothless was a part of Hiccup, they were inseparable. There wasn't just family love that lingered between them, there was something else. But Hiccup couldn't quite figure it out, no matter how much he thought about it, he had only come up with three possible explanations. The first was simply that the moon was messing with his mind again; the second was that Hiccup was just extremely confused. The third was one that he wasn't ready to accept as a possible explanation, and it was that he had fallen for the beautiful black Dragon. If he had grown up in an alternate environment, then Hiccup may have been thinking differently, but Hiccup grew up in Berk. The people who lived there didn't really agree with gay bestiality. The Berkish people were often quite judgemental.

The first few minutes were filled with an awkward silence, but soon they were talking again like nothing had happened.

"Good question, Hiccup." She laughed gently. "He's called that because when he was born, he didn't have any teeth so everyone thought that he was completely fang-free, he did eventually grow teeth, and when his first tooth emerged, he began biting everything in excitement! The name Toothless kind of stuck so that's what he was called. As for Iggy, I'll never know what made his parents call him such a strange name."

"What about your name, Renassa?"

"I was named after my great grandmother, who was renowned for her healing skills, even though she wasn't a Changewing. What about the name Hiccup?"

He stopped giggling and stood still, remembering why he had been called that. He had only been told once, but that was all he needed. "I was called that because... I'm a hiccup. An accident. Something that wasn't supposed to happen. People always expected me to be born like the others, quickly developing muscles and an urge to fight. But instead, I was the opposite. So they thought I was and always will be an accident. They were right."

His voice had lost its happy tone, and had turned more distressed. Renassa remained quiet, respecting his emotions. It was a while before either of them spoke, but all things come to an end.

"I don't think you're an accident."

"What?" Hiccup's confused eyes stared into the confident blue eyes, searching for an answer.

"How could I ever think that such a wonderful youngling could be a disappointment?"

"Bu-but look at m-me! I'm all scrawny and... You know." He stumbled a bit on his words and trailed off at the end, showing how little faith he had in himself.

However, Renassa's next words changed something. They lingered in Hiccup's mind for many years, as a constant reminder of what some Dragons truly desired.

"Your heart is in the right place Hiccup, now you need to guide it to where it can live in serene ecstasy."

"But how can I do that?"

"Your Dragon instincts will show you the way."

Not long after, Hiccup was back in the Inner Haven moving stealthily up towards Toothless's small cave. Renassa's words were still fresh in his mind, and so powerful those words were, that they blocked out any of the moon's attempts to corrupt his mind.

Serene ecstasy. Where could you find such a thing in a world like this? There was an endless war raging between two mighty species, one side was unmerciful and disapproving and the other was deadly and complex. Hiccup looked over to where Toothless lay, and began wondering what Renassa had meant. He had a feeling it had something to do with Toothless, who didn't seem to be showing signs of waking up any time soon. So as Hiccup felt exhaustion creeping up on him, he snuggled back under his Night Fury's wing and settled into the welcoming darkness.

"Welcome back, my Hiccup."


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Just in case you get a bit confused, Khynechi is a phoenix who brings hope to the unfortunate in Hiccup's religion, and is a griffin who symbolises luck in Toothless's beliefs.**

The next morning was just like any other, waking up wrapped in a pair of sleek black wings, with a dull pain somewhere and a roasted fish lying not far away. And once again, Hiccup just fell back asleep until he would wake up within minutes of Toothless opening his calm citrus eyes, and the fish would have gone cold. So nothing really happened in the hour it took for them both to wake up fully. So when lunch time neared, an idea popped into Iggy's small head.

"Hey Hiccup!" He said cheerfully with a suspicious grin on his face.

Hiccup caught on almost instantly.

"What are you planning this time Iggy?" Hiccup sighed.

"Oh, well I was wondering if you still had that knife- what is it?" Hiccup had walked away from him and towards the deepest corner of the cave, where he had carelessly dropped the knife the night before. He picked it up with the greatest caution, as if it would suddenly crumble to dust. Hiccup ran a finger gently across the blade, his nail scraped away some of the dried blood revealing the silver surface that had been hidden for so long. The serrated edge looked as though it had been done in haste, as if it was quickly added as a last minute decision. And as a result, the messy job had worn away simply from striking metal, and now appeared much smoother.

"Yes, I do still have it. Did you need it for something?"

"Well I was wondering if you were willing to learn how to use a knife better, I mean- it would be good if you knew how to defend yourself if you are on the battlefield again. It's just a suggestion; you don't have to do it." Iggy sounded nervous, he knew what the knife had been used for.

Hiccup just continued to examine the knife with a thoughtful look on his face. It had been haunting him for so long, and even now the memories still trickled through the mental barrier he had put up. But now he could use it as an advantage, with a price of course. He looked over to Toothless, who was on the other side of the lake, as if seeking advice. Except that Hiccup already knew what he would say. _Only use it if doesn't hurt to do so._ It was time to let go of the past.

"Ok, but there's only one problem. Who can teach me?"

Iggy's mouth opened and closed in confusion, knowing that it was one part of the plan he hadn't thought through very well. But Hiccup was already working on that. He called Toothless over and fitted his fake leg into the stirrup, whispering the plan to Toothless.

Toothless wasn't happy, to say the least. They argued back and forth for so long that Iggy eventually plodded away impatiently. Neither were oblivious to what had happened every other time Hiccup had visited for longer than ten minutes, but they were also aware of how no one would dare disturb them if they made it to the specified location. And eventually, Hiccup somehow won the fight. So Toothless grumpily took off and soared silently away from the Haven.

Berk emerged on the horizon and Toothless stopped suddenly, hovering above the mountains.

"Hiccup, I really don't think this is a good idea."

Toothless, we've already been through this, we're going to see him."

"No seriously, look." Hiccup could just about make out the massive machines set up around the borders of Berk, which were specifically designed to kill on sight without mercy. He couldn't make out what types of weaponry there were, but he had already made a plan.

"Ok, fly in from the yak fields and stay as close to the ground as possible."

"Is the moon messing with your mind again?"

"No, they will be preparing for an attack from the sea with Dragons that fly high above sea level. Believe me, I know how we used to prepare for an attack, and it was very much like this."

"Well if this get's us killed or caught, I'm going to make sure Khynechi shortens your luck."

"How did you...? Oh right, she means something slightly different to you."

"Indeed she does. I just hope that the great griffin will give us all the luck we need. What is she in your religion?"

"Irrelevant. Come on, let's get the worst part over."

Everything went smoothly, and nothing unfortunate happened. Thank the gods. There were no weapons guarding this side of the island, which was the biggest flaw in the Vikings' plan. They never expected to be attacked from behind, as all of the Dragons and enemy tribes lived across the sea.

The yaks moaned in protest as they disturbed their midday nap, and the trees rustled around them, dancing in the calm wind. Hiccup steered Toothless towards the north of Berk, and a large house materialized on the edge of the forest. Hiccup gulped and guided Toothless towards the large window in the roof, and landed soundlessly inside a dusty room.

Hiccup hesitantly climbed off, and wandered around the room examining every last detail.

A thick layer of dust covered every inch of the small room, as if nothing in here had moved for years. He picked up a small book wrapped in leather and opened it to the first few pages. They showed simple charcoal drawings of common Dragons, but as he continued through the book, the sketches got more complex, and some even showed what Hiccup had imagined a Night Fury to look like before he had seen Toothless. He carefully put it back on the shelf it came from, knowing why he was here.

"This room is covered in your scent," Toothless's nose twitched curiously. "Although it's very old. About eight years old."

"In a few weeks it will be exactly eight years. Freya's Feast is three weeks and four days from now, and while the other Vikings will be feasting in Meade Hall, I will be celebrating something very different."

"What do you mean? You're being very vague Hiccup."

"Don't worry, I don't feel ready to tell anyone yet."

They crept down the stairs and listened out for any sign of life. And Hiccup just make out the sounds of snoring coming from the kitchen. The stench of alcohol hung in the air accompanied by a few broken bottles carelessly tossed aside. Hiccup navigated his way through the precarious maze of broken glass and stopped by the door to the kitchen. The heavy snoring continued and rattled the house slightly as they echoed through the empty space. Hesitantly, Hiccup pushed the door open and walked in stealthily.

His father was slumped over in his chair with a drained mug in his hand, the once flaming red beard that swayed magnificently in the cold northern winds now hung limp and streaked grey with stress and worry. Stoick's skin was pale, as if he hadn't seen the light of day in weeks-which he hadn't. He had once been a proud warrior who could bend iron with ease and battle with Monstrous Nightmares and emerge unscathed. Hiccup stumbled up to the table with tears in his eyes, and as the first salty droplet collided with the table, Stoick suddenly jerked awake. His eyelids fluttered with confusion and took some time to focus on his surroundings. He stood up and clumsily strode over to the cupboard where they kept the bread and tore off a chunk for himself. He turned around and saw Toothless, and froze. In a flash, his hammer was in his hand and he was striding towards Toothless, who was preparing for battle. But the sound of gentle sobbing brought him out of his trance. He dropped his hammer, which dented the floorboards with its weight, and shuffled up to Hiccup while completely ignoring the bigger threat. Hiccup lifted his head from the table and turned to face Stoick.

"Hiccup?" One of his large fingertips brushed a tear off of Hiccup's face, which was smiling through the sadness.

"Dad?" He whispered almost silently.

Stoick turned Hiccup round and lifted up his shirt, inspecting the damage inflicted over the years.

"I did this..." He sobbed soundlessly and reached for another bottle of mead.

"No, it wasn't your fault. It never was." Hiccup snatched the bottle away from him and threw it to Toothless, who disposed of it instantly.

"I let this happen, Hiccup, I didn't know what to do, who to trust. And this is the result of my ignorance."

"No-

"I shouldn't have listened to them! They told me what would happen if I didn't adopt a new heir."

"What are you talking about? It was your own decision to disown me, no one else's."

"You're wrong, something else happened."

"What? What happened?" Hiccup was nearly shouting now in an attempt to find the truth.

"Don't worry, you couldn't possibly understand."

"You can't just say something like that then tell me to not worry!"

"No please, it's for your own good."

"I need to know! What happened in that meeting?"

Stoick sighed in defeat, knowing how stubborn Hiccup could be.

"They told me that if I didn't take Snotlout as my heir, they would kill you. But now that I look back on that, maybe that would have been better. At least you wouldn't have lived as a slave."

Hiccup instinctively growled at the back of his throat, low enough so that Stoick couldn't hear but loud enough for almost any Dragon to pick up.

"I am _not_ a slave."

"I'm sorry… My son." Their anger melted away at those magical words. Hiccup pulled his shirt back down and wrapped his arms around his father. _His_ father, not Snotlout's.

They embraced each other for what felt like eternity, until a low rumble from Toothless parted them.

"Now, I know you wouldn't have risked getting yourself and you Dragon killed and captured just to come and argue with me, what have you really come for?"

"Well," Hiccup pulled out the knife and held it out in front of him for Stoick to see. "I need to get better at fighting, and right now a knife is the only option considering I can't handle anything else."

"But why would you choose to use that monstrosity? The things that blade has done, the pain it has inflicted upon the innocent, I can easily get hold of another knife that is far more suitable."

"Yes, I think that would be for the best. I was also hoping that you could teach me to wield it."

Stoick smiled briefly. "I would be happy to."

Not long after that, they were flying back over the yak fields when a loud roar echoed across the silent meadows. It sounded neither human nor Dragon, and that's probably because it came from the Dragon killer, who had taken an unusually long amount of time to remember that Hiccup, who knew an exceptionally larger amount of information about Berk than he did, would obviously know to fly over the yak fields instead of straight into the ballista's. And by the time he had reached the yak fields, he only have time to catch a glimpse of a Night Fury and a human laughing at the Dragon killer's temporary stupidity.

**A/N: I just reread the other chapters and I noticed that there was a significant amount of plot holes and errors, so if you were someone who got confused or annoyed at an error, I would advise going back and reading some of them, because I have started to re-upload some of them.**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Thank you for all the nice reviews/PMs! Your comments are what keep me writing this story, and they are also helping me write it as well.**

Hiccup laughed loudly, the wind snatching away the noises almost instantly. Toothless let out a throaty chuckle as he watched the livid warrior run towards them in a desperate attempt to catch up with them, but with no chance of ever beating the speed of a Night Fury. It felt wonderful to know that they had safely outsmarted the Dragon killer, and the feeling was so good that they never even considered the fact that the same trick wouldn't work twice until they happiness ebbed away much later on in the week. They performed victory loops and expertly swerved between the pillars of clouds, ascended into the highest altitudes, before plummeting gracefully towards the sea and skilfully weaved a path between the highest mountains. They didn't return to the Haven until the sun was beginning to sink beneath the horizon. The wind bid them farewell and the dying sun's rays cast long, elongated shadows across the Outer Haven.

No Dragon spoke to them when they returned, none of them wanted to say anything that might spoil the happy atmosphere they had brought with them. But when there's a happy leader, the Dragons always find something to celebrate, even if it is something almost irrelevant like the beginning of a new month. But that night, they danced around the lake in unique and special ways. Devouring fish and competing in friendly competitions, breathing fire into the air with no other reason other than to create an irregular pattern of bright fire that slowly heated up the Inner Haven until it was almost unbearable.

Hiccup was on the back of a Changewing, mesmerised by how it shifted and changed until it looked as though he was floating without support. He looked over to the other side of the lake, watching how each Dragon had its own distinctive dance. Some were simple and playful, like the Terrible Terrors, who just gathered into a ball and flew around the cavern while circling endlessly inside their tiny sphere. Others were seeking attention, and in the centre of the "stage" the males all gathered and demonstrated different talents and skills, although many just looked like they were fighting. But some were romantic dances, where the Dragons slowly twisted around each other, many intertwining tails or gently rubbing their snouts together. Toothless snatched Hiccup off of the Changewing's back and gently tackled him to the ground, mercilessly licking him all over whilst ignoring Hiccup laughing nervously and light-heartedly pleading for mercy.

_Several hours later_

The heat. Oh Gods, the heat. Why was it so hot? Hiccup attempted to move, but found himself pinned down by some unidentified Dragons. The entire Haven was asleep and none had returned to their nests, resulting in a massive pile of sleeping Dragons messily bunched up around the edges of the lake. Hiccup couldn't see much, just a Timberjack wing obscuring his vision, as well as a wisp of smoke curling up from a Dragon beside him. The heat was really starting to get to him now, he noticed as the sweat poured off of him. He anxiously tried to tug his arms and legs away, but he could barely move his fingertips. He hoped this wasn't how all Dragon celebrations were going to be like.

He heard someone softly speak his name and attempted to answer, but his throat was unbearably dry and resulted in a sort of unpleasant choking sound that told whoever had called him all they needed to know. There was a sound of many shifting Dragons and the click of claws against rock as whoever had called him approached the pile of slumbering Dragons which Hiccup was trapped under, before he felt sharp talons wrap around his arm as gently as they could and try to pull him out from the pile. But Hiccup remained exactly where he was, unable to even breathe properly – let alone climb out. He heard the same Dragon curse softly under its breathe before there was a concealed force pushing the side of the pile closer and closer to the lake's edge.

"I hope you can hold your breath for long enough."

Then with one final tremendous shove, every Dragon in that heap was instantly awoken by the sudden presence of cold water, and as the Dragons fell in, they took Hiccup with them too.

Hiccup scrambled up through the mass of wings, claws, limbs, desperate to reach the surface before he was dragged under and into the very depths of the lake which he couldn't swim away from. He had accidently taken in a huge gulp of water because of the sudden panic of the danger of drowning, wasting precious breath as he did, but soon realized that the Timberjack wing he had seen just minutes before was the last barrier blocking his way; a barrier he could not pass as long as the Timberjack itself could not move. So instead, Hiccup swam horizontally towards the first familiar face he saw, which was the Changewing from the night before. Its eyes were narrowed and it seemed aggravated at being pushed into a cold lake. However, it quickly understood what Hiccup meant when he accidently released a valuable bubble of air and pointed urgently to the water's surface. It turned a sickly shade of green and snatched Hiccup with its vine-like limbs and swam straight up, pushed through the wing with ease and leapt stylishly onto the rock, right in front of an aging Rumblehorn.

It stared down at the soaking mess before him, staring at them as if they were some bothersome insignificance.

"Are you ok?" What it said sounded innocent enough, except it was spoken in a patronising way that almost seemed to mock them. Its voice was deep and gruff and held no warmth.

"I'm ok..." Hiccup trailed off at the end, intimidated by the stranger before him, but he recognised the voice. It was the same Dragon who had called out for him in the first place, and undoubtedly the one who also pushed the slumbering mountain into the central lake.

He noticed how its nose twitched, and Hiccup knew it was memorising his unique scent for later use, which meant that the Rumblehorn was either a deadly enemy or an extremely unwilling ally sent to fetch Hiccup as if he was some sort of dog.

Hiccup was roughly nudged forward away from the lake still full of thrashing Dragons and was suddenly grateful for that huge gulp of water he had swallowed, for it had at least partially quenched his thirst. The Rumblehorn continued guiding Hiccup, and soon they were at the entrance of a tunnel. It was almost perfectly circular but had lots of loose soil gathered around the edges.

"Why are we going down a tunnel?"

Iggy had never told Hiccup about this tunnel, and now an unknown Dragon was trying to push him down it.

"There is a Whispering Death in need of your company." But which one? Hiccup hadn't befriended any Whispering Deaths, they all stayed undergrounds tunnelling a complex system of tunnels for no obvious reason.

"Is there an easier way to get down? Or at least a way which doesn't involve breaking an ankle?"

"No, Dragons don't have ankles."

Hiccup was about to correct it but he was harshly pushed down into the dark tunnel before he could even react.

It was shallower than he expected, which was a relief. Unfortunately, that didn't stop him from hitting his head against the cold ground; however it would have been much more severe if he didn't land on a soft pile of mud that cushioned the worst of the fall. The Rumblehorn slowly descended from the air, and pushed Hiccup onwards, into the deep dark tunnels that twisted into a maze of shadows and rock. With no light to rely on, Hiccup had to trust the grumpy Rumblehorn to guide him through the labyrinth.

They sharply turned left for fourth time in ten minutes and found themselves in a dimly lit room, the light came from the softly glowing eyes of a family of Whispering Deaths, but only one in particular caught his eye. It was lying on a pile of rotting leaves, a small juvenile, and slight drooping wings that fluttered every few seconds. Its milky white eyes almost matched the colour of its scales, which were far paler than they should have been. It seemed unaware and confused, unable to focus its eyes that danced around, jumping in different directions in a random pattern. Then it him, like a deadly lightning bolt of knowledge that all feared.

"_Is it... blind?"_

He pushed away these thoughts, not wanting to even consider the consequence if his own unwanted prediction was correct. He reached out one quivering hand to stroke it, seeking to comfort the suffering beast. It jumped at the sudden contact and squirmed for a few seconds, before going almost completely still and welcoming the touch.

"He's dying, Dragon Whisperer." The mother spoke in a saddened tone, but still retaining the usual rasping voice of a Whispering Death.

"We just don't know why." The father spoke this time, a large and powerful Dragon who looked strong enough to drill through the toughest rock.

But Hiccup knew why, he just didn't want to admit it. He also did not want to tell them that its time had come. The process had been sped up without the presence of the moonlight, and Hiccup knew what had to be done.

He placed a hand on its snout, trying to remember what Toothless had said to him so many nights ago, but he highly doubted that the parents would approve of what he was about to be done. And with tears in his eyes and reluctance in his voice, he spoke the truth.

"I'm sorry for what you are going to witness, but it needs to be done. Please don't try and prevent me from doing what needs to be done." He reached down to grab the knife, but felt only air beneath his fingertips. He searched in confusion, only to remember that he had left it with his father. He stared around slightly awkwardly, knowing he didn't have long left. So he searched through the pile of dead leaves until his fingers scraped to rock underneath, and found what he was looking for. He pulled the sharp rock up into the soft light and mentally prepared himself. He didn't dare look at the other Dragons in fear of how they would react, and in one swift movement, he cut a shallow in the youngling's side and heard hissing from multiple Dragons, but they heeded his warning and stayed put, watching Hiccup's every move but also making sure that they kept their anger under control, as it was a terrible crime to harm a Dragon Whisperer in any way. Hiccup coated his hands in the blood that slowly oozed out of the wound and spread it over himself in the best way he could. When he was done, he slowly picked up the Whispering Death and cradled it in his arms, and looked intently into its eyes.

Hiccup was almost instantly overcome with emotions, but they were not his own. He felt only the youngling's fear and nothing else. It was nothing like how it was with Stormfly, she was calm and welcoming. But the Whispering Death was youthful and immature; it couldn't even speak through the temporary mind connection, except for the screaming that echoed through the link. It was distant and hollow, no thoughts projected through it. Just the same constant noise that felt like it lasted a century. A century of emptiness swimming around in a pool of rock, with walls of luminescent jewels a similar colour to the young one's unhealthy scales.

And then it was over. It didn't end abruptly like the first time, it was expected and wanted. Hiccup glanced down at the corpse in his arms, and let the tears run as free as the wind in the high altitudes that he had flown in with Toothless. The salty droplets decorated the dead figure in his arms, and he slowly placed it back in its nest, and then stood up and politely requested to be shown back to the Inner Haven.

Once he was back, Hiccup crawled over to Toothless and leaned against him heavily.

"Is there any particular reason that can explain why your hands are covered in blood? It smells like the blood of a Whispering Death." It sounded casual, but with a hint of suspicion.

Hiccup said nothing; he just stared blankly ahead of him and took in the scenery. Most of the Dragons had gone back to sleep while others prowled the edges of the cavern, presumably looking for whoever had pushed them into the lake. When nothing was said for several minutes, Toothless tried again.

"Did you perform the Dragon's Passing Ritual?"

Hiccup nodded, not wanting to say any more. After seeing the symptoms and final state of the Whispering Death, he knew that the first victim of the Moon Effect was dead.


End file.
